100 Years of Grit, Honor, and Karma: The Pill-Free Life of Nagalakshmi Venkatachalam
It's rare we come across a steadfast woman like Nagalakshmi Venkatachalam who is 100 years old and has lived every single day with grit and honor. It’s my pleasure and pride to talk about my mother-in-law mother who continued to fascinate me from the day I got married to one of her grandsons. What is more astonishing than her longevity is the fact that she has lived 100 years of her life disease-free and pill-free.
She followed a daily sadhana and has lived the life of a karma yogi barely even realizing that it was her dedication towards her karma that led her to a stress-free life. She would get up early every day, as early as 6 am, start the day with prayers, and head over to her daily chores of kitchen and house cleaning.
I have never seen her asking for fancy gadgets like vacuum cleaners etc and she never aimed for a retired life lying sloppily in an easy- chair watching something on a screen like most people at her age would prefer to do.
Widowed at 28: A Life of Hard Work and Selfless Dedication
Her commitment to living with honor started when she was widowed at the young age of 28 and was left with 7 children to mother while the youngest child was merely a year and a half. From then on, she accepted her destiny as a single mother and took her role seriously with complete dedication.
Her goal was to provide her children with basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter, for which she was prepared to work endless hours in a small factory that her husband had left her with. She courteously adopted wearing the white saree (that most widows are expected to wear in her times) from the age of 28 and never craved wordy pleasures like colorful clothing or jewelry and to me, that is the beginning of her life as a karma yogi.
Even when financial situations seemed favorable, she never dreamt of possessing anything fancy for herself thereafter.
Facing Surgery at 99: A Warrior's Unwavering Strength and Determination
My mom-in-law (who is her third daughter) recalls that there were only 2 occasions when her mother had stepped into a hospital.
First when she was hit by a cow in her 70s and she came out of that accident successfully. Second at the age of 99 when she fell in her bathroom and got a hip fracture. I remember the second incident very well because all of us were concerned if she would make it alive at that time. The orthopedic doctors in India were skeptical about operating on a 99-year-old then.
I recall my mom-in-law discussing this dilemma with me. I told her – “if grandma was here in America, doctors would not operate on a 99-year-old. It’s too risky because of the complications that can arise thereafter. The risk for blood clots, infected wounds, and other side effects from anesthesia can be life-threatening. Nevertheless, if she does decide to get the operation done the chances that she will get up and walk again are also very slim. “
My mom-in-law was not able to decide for her mother and went and posed the same question to her 99-year-old mother whose memory was still sharp- “Amma do you want to be operated for your hip fracture? It may relieve you of the pain from a fracture, but it comes with its own risks. I’m unable to decide for you, so please tell me what you would want to do.
Her mother without any hesitation responded – “yes, I will go for the operation. Please go ahead and I will tolerate whatever it takes”. Most of the educated people including myself thought it was one of those quick decisions made by her due to the intolerable pain and it was probably not well thought of by her. We were worried how she would recover from this surgery and almost everyone thought this was the end of a legendary 99-year-old woman.
But she bounced back like a warrior. She tolerated the surgery well despite some complications that occurred thereafter like aspiration pneumonia, inability to pass urine and not to mention extreme pain even with slight movements in bed.
A Legacy Fulfilled: Building for Future Generations and Embracing a Peaceful Departure
My great mom-in-law tolerated all of this and fought her way back along with the help of daily physical therapy. To all our surprise she was back on her feet within 2 months after surgery with a walker and eating and toileting on her own as usual. We never anticipated that she would come back to standing on her feet and we were in awe of her sincerity towards making herself independent again.
Her next wish was to leave something behind that would help her future generations to have a fruitful life. She wanted to build a large hall extending from a temple that was in a little village called Naduvulacheri where she was raised. This temple was her family deity or kula deivam. She wanted all her progeny to find a suitable place to celebrate small functions be it weddings, receptions, betrothals, bridal showers and baby showers, and so on.
The hall construction started in full swing with the contributions of 20 grandchildren and 7 children and was completed quickly within 3 months. My mom-in-law started to make preparations to transport her mother in a caravan or RV type of vehicle for the opening of the hall. Knowing and realizing that her karma was completed at this birth she then decided to rest and meditate.
One fine day she gave up on living, not because she was in pain or ill health but because she realized it was time to leave her physical body and she had completed all of her assigned tasks fruitfully and diligently. Her vitals remained stable throughout those final moments. We all started praying & meditating for her and waiting for her physical body to depart effortlessly.
Inspiring Future Generations: A Legacy of Wellness, Strength, and Sadhana
She has shown us, a family of more than 100 people, her progeny, how to live a life that was challenging and tough in every aspect and convert it into a life filled with sadhana. A life that will bear fruits in the next birth and a life that is exemplary in every stage.
She is my inspiration to start my wellness organization in the year 2020 called Wellness with Sahila which aims to help people live pill-free, stress-free, and disease-free. She will and always remain close to my heart as I see part of her energy still alive close to me in the form of my 3 children.
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