Especially when the beauty emanates from a pure soul—that of a mother! She is the nurturer who teaches you to give and love selflessly. When I look back at the memories of my mother, I can’t help but feel deep love, gratitude and respect for her. A postgraduate in Hindi, a kathak exponent; she was an adept homemaker. Yes that role which we normally belittle with a dismissive gesture of a hand. Now with my own family, I know that her work was the toughest 24X7 job in the world.
My father, unlike today’s dads, went to work and brought the bacon home but was pretty much clueless otherwise. My mother singlehandedly handled the home and the hearth. They complemented each other beautifully and shared a loving, respectful relationship. It was mom who took charge of every occasion, festival and gathering and made a success out of it. She was the anchor that held our home together strong and close knit. She was stoic, resilient and dignified!
She was a passionate cook. She showed me the importance of cooking with love, of making lovely innovative meals for the family and of making occasions out of those meals. She herself belonged to a small town but was liberal in her thinking. I never heard her utter the “a girl cannot do this” line to either me or my sister. Heck, she went out and bought me my first miniskirt! She never initiated me into the kitchen or in other girlie chores unlike other Indian homes. She did not bat an eyelid when I had to travel alone for days on end when I took up a job.
Born in an affluent family, she showed us that she could live on a government officer’s salary. She showed us how to live within our means surrounded as we were by the contrasting South Bombay affluence.
In her prime, she was afflicted by a severe skin disease. An extremely beautiful lady, her external appearance was now flawed. It could have left a lesser woman shattered and turned her bitter. But, she took people’s overt grimaces and revulsion in her stride. She also suffered a debilitating stroke in her early 40s but clawed back to recovery despite severe paralysis, disability and depression. She showed us how to handle adversity and life’s challenges with courage.
Yes, mom loomed large with her kindness and her love especially for those less fortunate like maids and their daughters even nasty relatives.
She left us 12 years ago at age 52! Her memories continue to nourish my soul and guide me just like she had nurtured me with her love and wisdom.
She did not need to accumulate a bank balance to prove her worth. Her work of raising a loving, beautiful family speaks for itself. She was truly ‘As beautiful as her work!’ And she excelled at her work of nurturing lives. Ma, there can be no one like you ever!
What a lovely heartfelt tribute to a courageous woman. 52 is no age to leave. BTW did you learn dancing from her Rachna?
Thank you Alka! Indeed it was too early for her to go. Nope, I did not learn kathak from her but I did learn kathak much later for a year!
Worth is never ever proved by a bank balance, Rachna! It is proved only by how much richer you left the people around you. By that yardstick your mother’s worth is immeasurable.
Well said, Suresh!
The effort of the parents in bringing up their children is best visible through the achievements and values imparted to the progeny they have raised! Best of luck for this beautiful post, Rachna:)
We are indeed reflections on our parents’ parenting! And she did a great job with three kids. Thank you for connecting with the post, Rahul!
I must say she was a courageous lady and you were indeed lucky to have her in your life… Even my mother never initiated house work on me instead she insisted on me to study.. Lovely post.. And nice tribute to your mother..!! Her story is really inspiring..!!
She did suffer many setbacks in her life unfortunately but she still gave us such a happy childhood. Yes, studies were high on our list too. Thanks for connecting with the post. Wish mom was around to read it :(.
A Great Tribute To A Loving Mother!!
Well Said Rachana, I am reminded of
My Mother here, Sometime back I too posted a piece about my mother,
“A Mother Who Left Behind an Exemplary Foot Prints to Follow” You can read that here. http://pvariel.blogspot.in/2011/12/brief-memoir-of-my-mother-saramma.html
Thanks for sharing this. Keep inform.
Thank you Philip! Will surely visit your link.
Really heartfelt 🙂 Loved the tribute. All the best.
Thank you Jas!
beautiful! I don’t know what to say Rachna… My respects to the great lady!
Thank you Naba!
Such a loving post Rachna-yes mothers deserve all the adulation we can muster.The picture of your parents clearly shows what a warm equation they had.
Thank you Indu! Yes, mothers deserve all our adulation and respect. They are just one of a kind!
That was a glowing tribute to your mom.She must have been a great personality with grit,courage and compassion.Sorry to know that she passed away at a young age but she has left a legacy of her values for the daughters to cherish.
She would have made a fantastic grandmother had she lived that long. Yes, she has left us a strong foundation and a close-knit loving family. She is an inspiration to my brother, sister and I. Thank you for your kind words, KP Sir.
52 is no age to go! God, I’ll be 52 in a few (indeterminate) years!
She sounds like someone I’d have loved to meet Rachna. Your love for her speaks in every word you’ve written.
Yep, it is no age to go. It hit me real hard just 4 months after my marriage. I am sure you would have loved to meet — soft, mellow and loving, happy to let her family take the limelight! I just wish I had told her this when she was alive. We never expect our parents to go, not so soon definitely!
Don’t worry about not having told her Rachna. She can feel your love even now. She hears every words you wanted to say to her. She knows how deeply you loved her, even if you weren’t able to say it to her when she was around.
Thank you for saying that, Dagny!
Rachna,Wah..you know,that is exactly how my wife has handled her family,children and of course me.
hehe Lucky you!
Rachna lovely post. A great tribute to mom and I could very much relate to this. Thanks for sharing this piece of you.
Thanks so much Bushra!
So, so beautifully written with so much love, Rachna! Definitely a worthy piece for the theme! 🙂
Lovely to know about your mom!
Thanks Roshni!
Mother holds daughter’s hands for a while.. but their hearts forever…!! <3
Beautifully said and so true,Barkha! Welcome here.
u r always welcome rachna… 🙂
congrats for winning IndiBlogger Award.. I am so happy for U. :)…yay..!!!
Thanks so much Barkha :)!
Feels very proud of you to remember your mother with such love and compassion even today. You are a worthy daughter, Rachna.
She will always be very special to me, Diwakar! Thanks for your warm words.
Sorry to hear about your mom. Did she teach you Kathak? It’s a blessing to have a mother who is multi-talented with great principles in life.
No Saru! She had no time to indulge in that passion of hers. She was so hands on with all the other things I guess. Yes, she was multi talented. She could do fabulous embroidery, crochet work, knitting and stitching besides being a spectacular cook.
Nice to know about your mother through your blogs about her. She had achieved so much in her life. We can never forget our moms, even after they leave, we have them captured in our hearts.
True Rama! They live on in our hearts.
The mother-daughter bond is the deepest. And at a certain stage we interchange places, when she starts turning to us for comfort and advice.
Moms never die, they are immortalized in our memories.
Yep, I never got to experience the second phase with mom. I missed her a lot during the births of my kids. Indeed, they have a permanent place in our hearts.
Somewhere she must be watching you now and feeling very proud about you. She has raised a fine human being like you. Need I say more? 🙂 And that pic is just beautiful.
Awww Thank you DC for such loving words! I hope so too! I love this pic too. It so symbolizes the fabulous relationship that mom and dad shared.
Worthy tribute to a worth lady, Rachna.
Thank you TF!
This was just so beautiful! I remember you saying that she left for the skies a few days after your wedding! You’ve been such a strong woman to see it all! Lovely!
Thanks Rinzu! She passed away 4 months after my wedding. I had to fly back from the US to be by her side. It was very sudden and unexpected. I have missed her a lot all these years as I went about raising my family, dipping into my own childhood memories to think of what she would have done and said and I do believe that she is around me, blanketing me with her love and blessings! What can you say about a women who personified love itself and really came up trumps through massive hardships!
These days I am late on reading posts. So, please excuse me for that, you know the reason why 🙂
coming to the post, just loved it. A very beautiful tribute to your mom. May her soul keep watching over you and shower her blessings. 52!! Hmm…very young age, isn’t it? When I was a kid, I thought 50 above is old..Now, when my mom will turn 50 this year, I feel she is soo young…Good people always leave us fast..:(
She raised a wonderful woman like you..what else does she need?
Thank you Latha! Yes, it was just too soon. I miss her!
Your mother seems to be a great lady with so many talents. Sad to know that she left you so early. She would have been a great grand mother to your childrren.
Yes, she was multi talented and really resilient! She was wonderful grandmother to my sister’s daughter. My kids missed out on having a great nani in their lives.
YOu sound like a mother’s girl…. HAts off to your mom! Many homes today are well run with the moms taking care of all the responsibilities. well written post to your mom!
I am daddy’s girl too :). Yep, she handled the home beautifully. Thank you so much for reading!
Beautiful and befitting tribute Rachna. YOu must be missing her so much.
Thanks so much, Jaish! I do miss her a lot.
The photograph is amazing Rachna.
Our parents go through such hardships to bring us up. You must have missed her terribly when your children were born.
Yep I missed her a lot then. I miss her a lot even now. What can I say? No one can ever replace your parents!
We don’t realise the value of our parents till they are around. I mean, once you leave home, you miss them every second. I can’t imagine how it feels not being able to see them or hear their voice..
You are right, Nisha! It is a terrible experience to not have them in your life.
Beautiful and touching. Echoed my thoughts. No one can replace the void!
Thanks Sfurti! I had read your post about your mom too. They indeed are special!
What a lovely tribute! I am sure she somehow knows how you feel and can connect to every word you wrote here.
Thanks Akanksha! Look who is back :). Yes, that is the solace I seek too.