Durban - For most people, growing up in the information age, life seems like one big rush.
Everyone’s in a hurry to make the most money, get married or buy a house. It almost feels as if society is in a race against itself.
But 70-year-old Clairewood-born author and former educator, Rajie Tudge, shares her story on how life is a journey that cannot be rushed and instead, should be lived.
The author spoke to IOL during the Durban International book Fair at Sibaya Entertainment World.
At 68, Tudge published her first book, ‘Teaching the Canna Bush’, which reflects on her many years as an educator and what life was like for an Indian girl growing up in Durban during Apartheid.
The book delves into life for a young woman growing up in the 60’s, a time when women had little to no voice in society.
Early life for Tudge was not easy, as she grew up in a house with 13 other siblings in her hometown of Clairewood.
“I am number 8 or 14,” she said.
But at the time, she said she was too young to understand what it meant to be poor.
“We were all just a jolly bunch. You know as kids, you don’t really know that your are less fortunate than your neighbour until you grow up,” she said.
Initially, she doubted herself prior to writing her first book because she felt nobody would care what she had to say about her life and her journey, but took a leap of faith and believed in herself.
In the book, she shares the hardships she endured as a young woman, particularly around her relationship with her father and how bad the apartheid system treated her for dating a white man.
“I think one of the worst experienced I had was when I was dating my first husband. We actually got chased by the police we we were not the same colour,” Tudge said.
After the death of her first husband in 2011, when she was 59, Tudge moved on and did not expect to settle down again.
But at 67, Tudge received her second marriage proposal, from “an Irishman” named Brian Dowley, who is an architect by profession.
She gladly accepted his proposal and is happily married to this day.
Her son, Phillip, 39, who lives in the U.K, accepted him with open arms and also flew to South Africa to attend their wedding.
Rajiv Tudge, author of Teaching the Canna Bush, gives insight into her first book which was published when she was 68 years-old. @IOL pic.twitter.com/udSDvvGUvn
— Jehran Daniel (@JehranD) August 16, 2022
With her first book, which was published in 2020, she hopes her journey will inspire others and encourage them how not to give up, regardless of their age or circumstances.
She said her biggest source of inspiration for the book was Professor Betty Govinden, also a published author.
Tudge also pays homage to the institutions that she was a student at and which no longer exist, like Tagore High and Springfield College of Education.
“At the age of 67, I got a marriage proposal from an Irishman and I accepted it.
“This is why I say it is never too late for anybody. If you have a story, tell it. When I started this book, I thought I didn’t have anything to say to the world, but this is a story that needs to be told.
“Inside all of us, there is a story to be told. It's important for people who have a story to tell it, not only for their children and grandchildren but for others who may be in a similar situation,” Tudge said.
IOL