Mother is not a word. Mother is the whole different language. She is the language understood only by her children. Only the mother and her kids are privy to this language, it exists for them, by them, between them. No third person can ever comprehend it. Though, like all languages, this too has some set rules and dynamics.
I will tell you a few things about a few things that are typical to all mother-kid duo.
- A mother is the one who understands us even before we are born and opened our eyes in this world. She took care of us for the nine months we were nothing but trouble to her. She suffered and went through so much pain to bring us forth. She is our first home.
- Even though she was going through hell, her heart ached for our first cry. She was already possessive of us. She was already telling the nurses and the doctors to handle us with care. Like she knew us from long back like we have shared a bond forever and we were always a part of her. She was the one our first words, saw us take our first steps. Each one an epic moment for her.
- Then comes endless sleepless nights for her on our account. But never once she complained, comprehended our cries, making out which one is for “I am hungry”, which one is “I am sleepy”, which one says “My belly hurts” and which one means “Change my nappy”.
- She catered to all our needs, running to us at the slightest of sounds, holding, coaxing, cajoling us back to a laughter and smiles. She stood for hours rocking us to sleep, singing lullaby’s to put us to peaceful while she drinks coffee’s to stay up.
- A couple of yrs in her lap and we are making her chase us from room to room. And….she….like always….runs after us with that content smile. Playing Peek-A-Boo when she soo wanted to watch that movie. All her social life ends, and we become her entire world. She revolves around us, like our very own satellite making us her focus.
- Each Mum showers her love through food. They make the dishes we love, with utmost care, tasting the dish she to make sure it is not too spicy for us. She even feeds us with her hands, blowing air on the spoonful to make it mild enough to be fed. At times she even eats our leftovers because she knows that food must not be wasted.
- She is our first school. Teaching us things way before time, so that we stay ahead of all others, She wants to see all admiring us, appreciating us. She intends to remain in the shadows and us to be the focus.
- Years keep rolling as we keep depending more and more on mother, for emotional support, as a shield in our battles, as our absolution when we do wrong, as our faith when we want to confess, as our punching bag when we need to vent and even as our savings account in need of money. She plays each role with a content smile on her lips. The more we need for her, the happier she is. She takes pride in being our need.
- She wakes up before us and sleeps after us in our school life. Sometimes she even fights our bullies for us. Remember that time when she did your homework for you? When she got scolded by your teacher and your dad for your insubordination and pranks? The countless times she sat by your bed till your fever went down. When she cried to see your bruised knee and nearly fainted when you got stitches? When she was more nervous than you on your exams. ?
- When we go to college, she saw her dreams in our eyes. She fought dad to let us pursue what we wanted. She emptied her savings to pay for that coaching we needed. She was happiest when we brought friends home. She blushed when we were in love. We never told her, but she knew. She always knew what’s in our heart and who is in our heart.
- She blessed us on the first day of your job, telling us that soon you would touch heights no one ever achieved. On the day of our wedding, she was the one who was running an errand for days upon days. She was the one who took care that everything was perfect and she struggled to make it memorable for us. And then, she watched us from behind the curtains as we move on with our lives, having kids of our own, praying for our well being when we moved out of her home. Still,. Her love is just the same each time we see her. She eagerly awaits our next visit.
Now, is the time when she is old. Her body is not that strong, her steps aren’t that stable and her eyes aren’t that sharp. She has to strain of her daily work, hearing isn’t that clear, speech is a bit slurred. NOW, is the time to use that language we invented years ago again into use. But this time, we need to switch roles with her. This time we need to understand her unspoken words. We need to wipe her mouth after each bite, we need to hold her hand as she takes her last steps just like she did with our first, we need to read the newspaper to her, and we need to take her out with us. We must learn to accept her in her fading years and never feel ashamed of her clumsiness. Now, is the time we must be patient and understanding. Now is the time when we must realise that “Mum needs her tea”, “Ma wants to take rest”, “Ammi’s medicines needs restocking, “Aai must be taken to the Doctor”, “Amma needs Money”, “Mother want me to sit by her till she falls asleep”. Try to do just a fraction of what she did unto you. It will be more than enough for her, her blessing will protect you from all evil in life. Making a mother’s heart is no less than a criminal offence, just without any punishment to it.
Remember, Mother is a piece of Heaven. None, after her, will love you better.”
(The Featured Image is sketched by my brother Manoranjan Gopal Priya.)
My first Favourite was “Cinderella”, for obvious reasons. I mean who won’t like a down on her luck girl who goes from rags to riches over a glass shoe? And then there was the Fairy Godmother, the one in a blue ball gown that turns inane things like Pumpkin and Rats into glass carriages and fat coaches. You know the scenes I loved was when she would turn her tattered dress into a gown made of weaved silks and satins. I would often stand in front of the mirror and imagine myself in that gown and a Prince Charming to give his heart to me at first look. One that would go to the ends of the Earth with my memory, carrying it like a fragile glass shoe and won’t rest till he finds me, or swear to spurn the world for me. It was an assurance of true love, of love at first sight, of the undying quest for your perfect match. But you know in the end, when Cinderella forgives her step mom and step sisters, that taught me somethings very important, and they were “The higher you rise, the humble you get”, “Power is not always in exercising it, but it’s in forgiveness.” and lastly “Revenge is not the only way to punish, exemption too, brings guilt”. As a kid I wanted her to punish the three vile women, but as I grew up, I understood her need to let them go. I try to practice it sometimes now. You know, I come from my partied by 12 since forever by default. Lol.
Next on my list is everyone’s favourite, “Snow White And The Seven Dwarves”. Now who doesn’t love some adventure, being thrown out of your palace seems more like a reward than a punishment when you have the adventure in your heart. A princess and the most pretty one at that left to the whims of a stepmom, who isn’t just evil but a witch too. What could be more debilitating than that? The part I loved most was when the executioner wouldn’t kill her but have mercy letting her go, never to return, In my heart, I would be happy, that now she will be living fearlessly, in woods if not in palaces. But then something even better happens when she finds seven dwarves, who would fill her heart with love and warmth like never before. They become her mother, her brother, her friend, her guides and saviours. It taught me that “When life brings you to your all-time low, don’t lose hope, something awesome is just waiting for you round the corner.” I also learned that “Happiness could be found in huts, not just palaces and love can be found in people you never deemed worthy enough”, and the last but not the least one is “Mirror never lies”. You can fool yourself, but the mirror will speak the truth, no matter what. Though that book has given me a general prudence towards eating Apples. Especially if given by a stranger.
The third on my list is a compliment all girls get once in a while, and that is “Sleeping Beauty”. Now sleeping beauty is different in one way, Aurora, the princess, has no evil stepmom, but she wasn’t spared the evilness. She got it in one witch. Now, what I Love about Sleeping Beauty is the fact that sleep helps keep your beauty intact, which happened to the young Aurora when she was put to a 100 yrs of sleep(I believe we all look prettier sleeping). But here too we have our prince to the rescue, as we know that he will come for his damsel, and kiss her with all his might and wake her up. It teaches some crucial life lessons. First one is that “True love will come for you, even if it takes a 100 yrs for it to arrive”, Second one is that “You can’t avoid what’s fated for you” as we know that despite the king taking every precaution and burning every spindle, he couldn’t save his darling from ill fate. The last one which is evident in every fairytale is “True love has the power to move mountains and can bring you back from death”.
Quill & Parchment 