Can you please wear green colour on Thursday and wear this particular gemstone on this finger because your janampatri says it would help you? Also getting totally exasperated when she sees me not following her instructions but yet letting me be. In the same breath, telling me how tired I looked in a debate she happened to see on TV, also at the same time making me feel guilty for the umpteenth time for not updating her on my TV schedule. That’s my mother.
I rarely ever speak of my parents on public forums and I do that only to keep them away from sharing some of the troll love that comes my way. Yes, she is on Twitter, she is the first to like and share my Facebook posts, first to broadcast any news about me, first to like my picture on Instagram the moment I post it. Yes, that’s my mum. The silent yet strong support I have in my life.
Now, here is an image: a woman at 18 moving out of her comfort zone, leaving her parents behind in a small town of Uttar Pradesh to megacity Mumbai to make a life with her husband chosen by her parents.
That’s her. My dad moved to Mumbai from Mathura to pursue his career as a Chartered Accountant. As a mother, she was so devoted that she had totally given up everything just to ensure her children were brought up well and got the education and encouragement they needed.
The support I found in my mother as I took baby steps into my choice of career as early as I was 18 was at that point unthinkable. While everyone was against the idea of me working, I remember my mother and grandmother coming out strongly to support my choice. That support till date has been invaluable. The feedback from her, blunt and honest, in everything I do or say, my choices as a wife and a mother is unparalleled in terms of input.
I remember when I chose politics as a career, everyone warned me of wasting my time and energy behind a dream that would not help me grow as I come from a non-political background. My mother convinced me that if I believed in it I should go for it and she would wholeheartedly stand by me. As a mother of two kids, I can totally appreciate and be grateful for her stance in believing in my dream when no one else did. There are times when I have wanted to give up but she, with just her calming words, gives me the strength to carry on. In a lighter vein, her anger is legendary (I get that quality from her 😉 ), but her sense of pride on seeing me share a stage with her all time favourite Amitabh Bachchanji is equally so!
On this Mother’s Day, I can’t say it enough just how important her support means to me and her unwavering faith in my choices gives me the wings I need to fly, not just higher but to places unexplored.
To a mother who has been a pillar all my life, I can’t thank you enough. I am only what I am because you made me believe.
PS: On an aside, all those who appreciate my sarees, most of it is acquired from my mother! I still raid her closet because her taste is infinitely better, I plan to get there some day!
