Remembering Mother

The second Sunday of the month of May every year is designated as Mother's Day in America and in other parts of the world. It all started way back in 1908, May 9th in America and it caught the imagination of others. It is to honour the mother and remember her at least once in a year like all other specially designated days, which we celebrate, including Valentine's Day.

There is absolutely no doubt mother has a special place in everybody's life if not in heart! After all, it is she who bears us in her physical body for as long as nine months, delivers us to this bad world and then takes care of us, nursing, till we grow to the stage we are in. If we are good, she gets the credit no doubt and if we are bad, the world blames the mother for having failed to bring up her child properly. Mother's love is so pure, overwhelming, she will rush to the protection of her son in distress and also defend him blindly even if he is a criminal. At least, she will sympathize her son's fate.

It is, therefore, not surprising the great Hindu Saint-philosopher Shankaracharya has said the last word about mother. Her place in our life and her virtue. He said: There could be a bad father but not a bad mother. Having said this, in this world of Maya, as propounded by Shankaracharya mentioned above, we cannot share his opinion elevating mother to a level where she is seen faultless, impartial and sans prejudice to her children. Do I sound harsh?

History is replete with instances where mothers are being partial to their favourite children and have even encouraged them to pursue the path of revenge against someone who has wronged her or her husband. Mothers have been the cause of disharmony and division in the family. Despite this kind of aberration, the mother is no doubt the cornucopia of compassion and love for her children, especially if the child is born with some congenital defect either physical or mental.

Similarly, mother is always more considerate towards her financially poor children. Indeed, these qualities are loaded into a mother by another Super Mother, Mother Nature itself while denying the man these special sentiments and qualities of life. Love is all embracing for a mother when it comes to her own children born of her womb — Please watch for an Abracadabra titled "Sex: Who enjoys it more? Man or woman?"

Like the Englishman whose creed is “right or wrong my country”. So is that of a mother — right or wrong my son or daughter. The same cannot be said of a man who is ready to desert his son if need be. He fits into the description of a man we find in a proverb. It says a man will step on muck with great abandon and then wash himself when he finds a flowing stream or a pond. He lacks, by nature, the possessive quality about his children that we find in a mother.

Writers and film - makers all over the world have literally eulogised the mother and played out the theme of mother in their creative works. Those who have seen the film Deewar with Amitabh Bachchan as a bad son pitched against another son Shashi Kapoor, who is an honest Police Officer, will remember the often-quoted dialogue when they confront each other in front of their mother. Vijay [Amitabh Bachchan], bad son, shoots a question to the good son Ravi [Shashi Kapoor].

Vijay: Mere paas paisa hai, bungla hai, gaadi hai, kay hai tumhaare paas?
Ravi: Mere paas Maa hai.
[Vijay: I have money, I have bungalow, I have cars. What do you have? Ravi: I have Mother with me.]

The cinema theatre reverberates with whistles, catcalls and applause.

And that in a way sums up the place of mother in our lives. And do not forget to remember that these mothers also have their mothers from whom these mothers have inherited qualities which they possess. It might have come genetically or from Samskara, the culture of the family. Now let us get a big cake to celebrate our Mother's Day and make sure the mother gets the bigger piece. Well, does she? May be, she gets a bigger piece of the cake. But what about a bigger piece of her husband's property or her inheritance? I doubt, knowing her sons with wives!

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers with a suggestion to all daughters-in-law to make sure their husbands celebrate their Mother's Day. Did you get me Steve?

And as a son, let me share my experience. Whenever I fought with my parents, I lost the battle with my father. But with my mother, I was always a winner! Poor mother. Mothers lose to make their children win!

Now let me get a bit philosophical. How can I think of mother, as a journalist, without thinking of Mother Teresa. Also not forgetting the Mother of Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. But then on this Mother's Day we are talking about our biological mother, not foster mother or a spiritual mother. Blessed are those who have their mothers with them. So be it.

K. B. Ganapathy
Editor in Chief
Star of Mysore
Mysore