Parenting Coach Rupa Ghosh

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Sudha taught her grandmother....

Sudha was a small girl from Shiggaon, Karnataka .
While other girls played with dolls , young Sudha was lost in stories and Mathematics.
She visited her grandmother 's home sometimes and loved spending time and days there.
Her grandmother was an old , widow ,
Krishna, a woman who lived nearly sixty-five years ago in a small village.
Living in a time when opportunities for women were scarce, and education for elderly women was almost unheard of.
But what she lacked in formal education, she possessed in abundance—dedication, courage, and a deep sense of duty.
Sudha’s grandmother was the village midwife. Day or night, rain or storm, if someone called her to help deliver a baby, she would go. Midnight knocks on the door never annoyed her. Early morning cries for help never tired her. Service, for her, was above comfort.
If she could not leave her children alone at home, she would take them along. Those children would quietly sit in a corner of a mud house, watching their grandmother serve another mother bringing life into the world.
No lectures. No moral science classes. No motivational speeches.
Just silent action.
And that silent action became the greatest lesson.
Sudha, as a child, was watching all of this. She was absorbing something far more valuable than words — dedication to duty, respect for responsibility, and compassion for others.
One day, something unexpected happened.
Her grandmother told her, “I want to learn how to read and write Kannada.”
Sudha was surprised. “How can you learn now? You are too grown up!” she said innocently.
Her grandmother smiled gently and replied, “Learning has no age bar.”
That one sentence carried the power of transformation.
Sudha was excited. She decided she would become the teacher. And she took her role seriously. She gave strict instructions: “You must study for three hours every day!”
The old woman obeyed like a disciplined student. After finishing her household chores, she would sit with her notebook and practice writing alphabets carefully. Her wrinkled fingers slowly learned to hold a pencil with confidence.
Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months.
And one day, she began reading books in Kannada on her own.
Imagine that moment — a grandmother discovering the joy of reading for the first time in her life.
But the story does not end there.
One day, after she had learned to read fluently, her grandmother bent down and touched Sudha’s feet.
Sudha was shocked and almost annoyed.
“How can you do that? I am younger than you! You cannot touch my feet!” she protested.
Her grandmother, whose name was Krishna, looked at her lovingly and said, “You are my teacher. Anyone who teaches me even a single word is my teacher. And I can touch my teacher’s feet.”
In that moment, roles dissolved.
Age dissolved. Ego dissolved. Hierarchy dissolved.
Only respect for knowledge remained.
What a powerful lesson for a young mind.
Love for learning. Humility in receiving knowledge. Dedication to duty. Respect for teachers. Commitment beyond comfort.
These were not lessons taught in classrooms. They were lived values.

This Sudha is no other than Sudha Murthy,
Sudha Murthy, whom we all know and respect and salute.

Awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2023,
Padma Shri in 2006, she has known for her contribution to social work and education, a remarkable author and Founder-Chairperson of Infosys Foundation.
As Sudha Murthy stood years later at the Jaipur Literature Festival, sharing this story with her daughter and the audience, one could sense how deeply those childhood experiences had shaped her. The way she handled her family, the way she raised her children, the way she dedicated herself to social service — all of it had roots in those early lessons.

This story reminds us of something very important in parenting.

We may not always have long hours to spend with our children.
Life is busy.
Responsibilities are many.
But the time we do spend must be meaningful.
Quality time does not always mean teaching them.
Sometimes, it means learning from them. Sometimes, it means becoming the student.

Sudha became a teacher to her grandmother. But in truth, it was the grandmother who became her greatest teacher.
When we allow learning to flow both ways — from parent to child and from child to parent — the bond blossoms. Respect deepens. Love strengthens.

Sometimes, the most powerful parenting lesson is not in what we teach — but in what we choose to learn.

Rupa Ghosh

“Role of Parents During Exams”

“Exams are not just a test for children…
They are a test for parents too.

During exams, your child doesn’t need a pressure machine at home.
They need an emotional anchor.

When you say —
‘Sharma ji’s son scored 95%’
Your child hears —
‘I am not enough.’
When you ask —
‘How much will you score?’

Try asking instead —
‘Did you understand what you studied?’
Marks measure memory.
They do not measure intelligence.
They do not measure character.
They definitely do not measure your child’s future.

Create a calm home.
Reduce noise.
Protect their sleep.
Appreciate effort.
And most importantly —
Separate performance from love.
Because a confident child performs better than a scared child.

Remember…
Exams are temporary.
Self-esteem is permanent.
Be the calm in their exam storm.”

— Rupa Ghosh Dastidar
Parenting Coach