It is 1945, the war is over, peace has descended and ordinary folks are slowly rebuilding their lives. India is yet to gain independence, her tryst with destiny in the future; it was in these times that my grandmother set out on her journey to England.

She was one of a select few chosen to go abroad to study further, a rare honour in those distant times. Casting my mind back I can sense this rare achievement; unlike now there were very few who left our shores and don’t forget this was a mother of three from the boondocks of Allepey. She had not stepped out of this city until then and she came from a fairly sheltered and conservative background.

She was not a pampered child of 18 of today who has already seen the world and blase about this new step in her life. This is a mother of three, the youngest a mere toddler, a husband slightly heartbroken and girding himself for the coming parting, anxious about this long voyage ahead of her.

Yet there she was a diminutive but dainty figure undaunted, her future unknown embarking on a journey with little preparations for the challenges ahead. Courage, conviction and an understated belief in herself being her only armour to cross a brave new frontier!

The England of 1945 had won the war but lost the battle at home. She was penniless and in strained circumstances. There was shortage of food, that old warhorse Churchill was out, Atlee and the Labour party was in power, the empire was slowly withering away and England’s status as a world power shaken. Despite these uncertain times the country was coping in the best way it could.

Food stamps were the new currency; both the rich and the poor had to accept this reality, there were no shortcuts and no one, however big or powerful could sneak through the new regulations. One rule for all!

My grandmother ever a keen observer could immediately feel the difference. The stark contrast between life in England and India — not the poverty of India and the richness of the imperial Capital — no, what struck her most was the English people’s ability to be stoic and disciplined in adversity, rooted in that strong communitarian spirit so typical of the English — to share in equal measure the new burdens of freedom.

And she yearned for these very same qualities in her own country-men, why can’t we yolk ourselves to a greater good she asked? She admired England.

Amuma, my grandmother, was a simple, honest, caring individual, not a larger than life persona, but a hero in the truest sense of the word.

We look for our heroes scanning pages of history, curious to know what made these extraordinary people famous; we are dead–beat suckers for success and fame. In doing this we miss the woods for the trees.

Quite often our heroes are right under our nose, they may not have fought wars or invented something or led a people to independence yet they are the very symbols of all that is noble and right. My Amuma was that. She is and always will be my hero.

She was ahead of her times, modern in her outlook and ready to imbibe the best in the western traditions without in any way diluting her intrinsic Indian values. Much before it became fashionable to take an eclectic view of life, she was already into composite culture-a best of everything. She was a Bhagavad Gita devotee but also greatly valued the West’s stress on breaking down class and social barriers.

A peon from her office and a colleague from the University were both treated on par-no discrimination. The same courtesy exchanged to both-she was no Mahatma signalling to the world but in her own quiet unobtrusive manner making clear her intentions.

That was her most loveable and outstanding quality, no fanfare, no drama yet striking a huge blow for equality. Simplicity and minimalism were her hallmarks. Quiet and unassuming she was never preachy or strident — moderation in all things was her creed.

Shankara, the great Hindu sage of antiquity composed hymns for the eternal mother ‘a bad son may be born but never a bad mother’: My Amuma was that ideal.

Ravi Menon is a Dubai-based writer working on a series of essays on India and on a public service initiative called India Talks.