Joy Ventures

For me, the true beauty of a woman is seen through the people who love her. One such beautiful woman who has graced and touched my life is my mother, Sushila M. Mahbubani, even the name Sushila means well-disposed and good-tempered.

Born on 8th March, 1940 into humble beginnings, her life journey was tainted with struggles and many heartaches. Yet, she never failed to smile, even in the most difficult of situations. She lived her life to the fullest , being grateful for every new day that she was blessed with, in turn she would bless others. My father, our family and many others were touched by her exuberance for life and living each day with love and humility.

I knew my mother was loved by many as there was never one person that I met that had an unkind word for her. What I did not know was the extent of the impact she had made on the lives of others. At her funeral in 2001, we had expected a crowd of 200 to turn up but instead, 600 people did. There were many faces that I did not even recognize but all those that came up to me, thanked me for my mother’s life- there were many she had helped physically, monetarily, morally and spiritually. Every person there was there because they loved my mother and wanted to say good bye to a woman of great beauty.

It was the most incredible day of my life. As each person said something about how their lives had been changed through my mother’s actions, I realized what I had to do. I was not to wallow in sorrow and recalled her words to me, “Don’t ever believe that you cannot make it through, no matter how much pain you feel or how unhappy you are, there is someone out there who has it worse than you. Realize you are better than most people.”

I promised myself that I will live a life worthy of the legacy that she had left behind. It has not been an easy journey since that day but I would remember her simple words. She has taught me to touch people’s lives by allowing them to be the best that they can be and in turn allowing myself to do the same.

Joy Ventures was started with the vision to provide a platform for people to find their voices. Building partnerships to bring forth the best in anyone and to showcase their potential, be it in writing, speaking or any other passion that simply had not found its direction.

I am eternally grateful to the Lord that I was blessed with a True Woman of Beauty. Each one of us has the potential to live our lives to the fullest and making a difference in the lives of others- it only takes one smile at a time.