CEDRIC SERPES feels inspired by centenarian Sharada Chellam, though he finds it difficult to pinpoint any one reason for the longevity of this multifaceted, multitalented woman of substance

Sharada Chellam turned 100 on November 16, this year. When I think about her, there could be more than a 100 reasons to love her! Everyone has been asking her, “What’s the secret to your longevity?” The answer probably lies here, somewhere.

She’s open minded about everything. She’s a voracious reader in four languages. She has a blog in Marathi. She plays the Dilruba. She knits, crochets, tats, does jigsaw puzzles with ease. Posts pictures and answers all her Facebook posts. She’s also on Instagram and WhatsApp and writes messages in the four languages she knows — Hindi, Marathi, English and Tamil.

Cedric Serpes

She’s an avid student on Coursera. She does not imagine multiple negative outcomes in day-to-day events, but lives in the moment. She has a phenomenal memory of events past, of people, she met. She forgives easily and moves on. She is kind, soft spoken, disciplined and agile. She ran her first 100 metres race when she was 94. She swam until five years ago — she’d still do it, if there was a pool she could access.

She chooses to never suffer an illness; instead, she hunkers down and lets it pass. Once, when I cautioned her to be careful on the staircase, because of her age, she stopped, looked at me with her characteristic twinkle in her eyes and said “Budda hoga tera Baap!” That has now become my philosophy too!

She is the mother of my wife and my mother-in-law. Sometimes I call her Amma ji when I want to tease her. To that she would typically respond “Haan ji Cedric ji!”

Featured Image: Sharada Chellam

Ad guru Cedric Serpes is part of the visiting faculty of several top management institutes and colleges in India and the Gulf