Every day is Mother’s day

One of the most popular post on social media on Mother’s day is the one proclaiming that each day is a Mother’s day and one day is not enough. But the irony is that this post is visible only on Mother’s day. The true realization of the post has come a little late for me. I never denied the importance of the sacrifices that are made by mothers but neither did I stop and took note of all the small and huge sacrifices made for me. I was too happy in my little world with no responsibilities and unbound freedom. All the talk of self-made, independent individuals is a myth. We are all but a sum of the sacrifices of a lot of individuals. Above all our mothers.

Seeing my brother raise a child has made me aware of how impossibly difficult a job it is. Managing work as well as home along with two kids seems to be an impossible task. But this is something my mother has done all her life. Midway through this difficult task of raising us up, she was also dealt a painful blow. One that put us all through lot of agony and she was left alone to carry the responsibility of father and the mother. From managing finances to cooking food, from earning money to managing maids, from fixing electricity to fixing our clothes; it was all her – a one man army. This didn’t pull her down one bit, if anything she rose like a phoenix, stronger than ever. It is unfathomable how someone who had hardly visited a bank handled the finances for the education and upbringing of two kids. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally it is a huge burden. Now I would be the biggest fool on this planet earth if I ever thought I am a self-made man.

Just as if these hardships were not enough, recently she suffered a major health issue and was put under a 12 hour long surgery. The burden of responsibilities carried alone for so many years, finally took its toll. The surgery was followed by radiotherapy. The process was long and the pain unbearable. She is in pain even today. But what makes our mothers God is the selflessness they show even in these times. It is beyond imagination how a mother could be more concerned about her children, even when her own life is under threat.

I have no idea how strong one has to be, to endure all this. But I am sure, it takes incredible amounts of courage to survive one blow after another and still stay strong. It amazes me what drives her to come on top every single time. Because she is someone who is the epitome of selflessness, she is fighting this too for others and not for herself. It is absolutely impossible to enlist everything she has done for us. Probably everything she has done for the past 30 years has been only for her children. That is why I shall always be indebted. No matter what I do for her, I can never repay her for the sacrifices she has made for us.

The fact that it took a life threatening disease for me to pause and realize all this is deplorable. It is absolutely clear that I shall forever be dependent on her and that being a self-made independent individual is a beautiful fallacy. I have come to know the fragility of our existence. But this is not why I intend to write this. Why I want to write this is that Indian mothers are the most selfless, caring, loving and giving beings but still grossly under-respected and over-worked to a point where they end up damaging themselves. It is time we help them to be a little selfish, little less caring, little carefree and a whole lot more happy for themselves.