Page 9 - Magazine Final 04-06.cdr

LOCKDOWN DIARIES
LOCKDOWN DIARIES

Marvelous Monica Seth
Marvelous Monica Seth
Marvelous Monica Seth
I feel honored and privileged to pen these words for one of the most hardworking, selfless, and
inspirational people in my life and in the world – Mrs. Monica Seth. Initially, it was confusing to put words to
paper as I know her in many roles: conqueror of the world of beauty of, a successful entrepreneur, a kind
social worker, a brilliant model, and a hardworking editor. However, all these roles pale when compared to
her role as a mother, because as a mother you are responsible for managing a life. And I feel deeply
grateful to have Monica Seth as my mother.She was married at the tender age of 22 years. She was not
just an exceptional scholar, teachers’ favorite, her peer’s mentor, but also an aspiring doctor at that time.
Unfortunately, her dream was halted due to the marriage proposal. Yet, I have never seen her regret
losing her dream. In fact, I think this is the reason that she could raise two very strong children. She knows
t h e value of dreams. Ever since childhood, she has taught us to work hard and
perform each task with integrity. It was extremely difficult to raise us within a
business class family where a girl would be married after graduating from
college and her designated role in life would be to only manage home.
Yet, my mother’s values trumped all their preconceived notions
about my future. Imagine the difficulty she put herself through to
ensure that I have a future that she did not. She raised us to be
strong enough to (1) have a goal, (2) pursue it diligently, and (3)
not worry about what the society thinks. This is remarkable
thinking on her part! Further, she passed it onto us. It is hard to
imagine now, but her beliefs provided the upcoming generations
an opportunity to dream. By her grace, I am pursuing a PhD in
economics at Cornell University and I secured the prestigious Tata-
Cornell Scholarship. This was never my achievement alone. It was
the result of her upbringing. Her selflessness towards her children
will become even clearer now as it was only after she ensured that we
were settled well in life that she decided to resume her career. She won
the title of Mrs. India Grehsaheli at the age of 50. Her beauty, her wit, and
intelligence charmed her audience and judges. The win was unanimous. I was
fortunate enough to be present to witness the glorious moment. It is not sufficient
to say that I was proud of her. I was delighted for her because I knew that finally, the world
could see that we all saw all these years. She has not looked back since. After winning the
prestigious title, she went on to become a groomer, a judge in several events, launched her
own event company, and this current magazine where you are reading the words of
appreciation for her. I will not be able to exhaust the full list of her achievement in this
article as they exceed six pages. You will be shocked to know that all these glories were
achieved within 3 years of her winning Mrs. India. In her, I see a person capable of
achieving anything in life. It makes you believe in yourself, and that is the kind of
person I want to become too. I hope that I was able to clarify why
you feel a hit of inspiration when you look at Monica Seth.
But to reach where is she was not easy. That journey
could have broken any person. Through this
piece, I want to appeal to stir little pieces of
Monica in you. This is what I think
summarizes her achievements: please
raise your daughters and sons
the way she did.
M a k e t h e m
passionate about
something. Let them
chase it. Do not regret
the things that are gone. It is never too late to start fresh. You will only find beauty in the world if there is
beauty inside you. I raise my glass and present a toast to the wonderful mother, entrepreneur, Mrs. India,
owner of MS events, and many other roles that she portrays.

Thank you for being who you are. Sincerely, Payal Seth

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