MOTHER’S DAY

By: Shatakshi Mohan

‘I’ll be alright,’ I said because I have pals, and yeah, I am fine. Do I get downhearted because it has been 12 days since I last embraced my mother? Yes. I miss how she hounded me, the look on her face that said no(because she isn’t a hug person). But it got me thinking; I miss the roti I ate at home, the comfort of my bed and restroom, but what is it that makes my separation from my mother unbearable? It’s as if my life, like breathing, depends on it.
And I realized it’s maternal love, not only my mother, that I miss, which led me to a different leitmotif. When my friends continuously urge me to eat food or wear a mask whenever I go out, I still experience the emotion of parenting. I have never been away from my mom for a long time, so the idea that I would miss her never crossed my mind. But these days have made me understand how much I take my mother for granted, and at the same time, I’ve discovered that maternal love is not confined to my mum but to everyone who provides us with it, and that’s what I miss.
Walking down a kilometre to get food and then standing in a line to eat it only to realize that it isn’t the food I got at home. It reminds me of when I sat at the table, howling like a dog, impatiently waiting for mom to bring me food and forgetting to say how delicious it was after eating to my heart’s content. I often forget to dry my clothes here after washing them as there is no nagging reminder. And then a friend of mine starts reminding me of these small minute stuff. Does that make me miss my mother a little lesser? No, but I feel the maternal love from a friend, which satiates my craving for that love.
Love has always had various aspects, but a mother’s love is the purest since they are inclined to protect and fight for what is theirs until their last breath. Our mother may not be enraged by things that damage them, but one scratch on us seems like all hell breaks loose.
Do you see how I am trying to conclude? Did I discover something that’ll carve my name in the papers for future generations to read? Maybe not, but today, we can honour maternal love, motherhood, and everyone who reminds us of our mother. Be it your mother, gay parents, the aunt you adore, the grandma who keeps annoying you, your best friend who acts like your mother or that roomie you didn’t like initially.
Let them know how much we appreciate everything they’ve done to make us feel the love we desire and require. Unconditional love. The love that pushes you forward rather than holding you back, the love that encourages you while also scolding you, and the love that pampers you while also calling you out on your wrongdoings. I am talking about the same feeling that wrenches your heart every time you video call home or hear them cry. Let’s take our first step in acknowledging their efforts.
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to the mother in us and the mothers we have found outside our homes. Happy Mother’s day to all those people that have shown us what unconditional love feels like