“Ungli pakad ke phir se sikha de; godi utha le na maa; aanchal se mera munh ponchh de na; maila saa laage jahaan”
Song from Neerja, a Bollywood flick which makes my heart sink, and the question remains:
“Kyu Nahi Maa Saari Duniya Teri Tarah?”
Being a mom is like no other job in the world, trust me! No other, and her job is never done. Unlike a monotonous 8-to-5 job, motherhood is a “career” often motivated by pure unconditional love, while she is always under-appreciated.
Let’s appreciate ten things all Indian Moms have in common:
1. Putting on “Kaala tika” no matter how big you are—“Mere bache ko nazar na lage!” with a tinge of sparkle in her eyes!
2. “Dahi-shakkar kha le beta”—exams se pehle, interview se pehle—she runs behind you to lick that dahi shakkar ka spoon!
3. “Ungli Pakad ke chalna sikhati hai”—no matter how many times you fall, she will always reach out to pick you up and inspire you!
“Mujhko shikaayat karni hai sabki; mujhko sataate hain maa; ab tu chhupa le, paas bula le, mann hai akela yahaan”
4. “Khaana Khaya“—the moment you enter home, she will ask, khana khaya? Subh se kuch nahi Khaya tiffin waise hi hai. “Aja parathe bana du!”
5. Bina mange hi sab de dena—if you are sleeping; she knows if you are feeling cold, and if you sneeze, bina bataye guess kar lena—“Kal ice cream khai hogi!”
6. No matter how big you grow up, even if you are CEO of some company—you are always her baccha. “Kaise kapde pehne hai, kaise baal ho rahe hai. Jhalli lag rahi hai.”
7. First word that comes out when your hurt is—Ah! Mumma, Mom, Maa because she always protected you no matter what. She is like that anti-virus of your laptop, she is that dettol of your dirty hands—always safeguarding you. This reminds me of, duniya se lad jaane wali Maa:
“Heera kaha, kabhi nagina kaha; mujhe kyun aise paala tha maa
teri nazar se mujhe dekhe na jahaan; duniya ko to daantegi na, daantegi na, maa.”
8. If you’re in trouble, she is worried, doing prayers for you, keeping fast for your well being. Apki tarakki ke liye din raat dua mangne wali Maa:
“Aankhein dikhaye mujhe jab zindagi; yaad mujhe aati hai tere gusse ki
Daanta bhi to tune mujhe, phoolon ki tarah; kyun nahi maa saari duniya teri tarah.”
9. Aachi! Zara jukam hua nahi ki adrak ki chai kaada sab bana deti hai bina bole—“Soup kyu nahi piti ye ladki”,
zara fever aya nahi raat bhar patti badalti rahegi!
10. Wo rok-tok karne wali Maa
Der se utho to, “Kya time hai ye uthne ka?”
Late ao, “Kya time hai ye ghar ane ka ?”
Late ho Gaye, “Ye ladki phone kyu nahi uthati hai ? “
Maa ka phone aya se leke Papa ki dant se bachane tak,
Kabhi usne bhi socha apni zindagi jine ka:
Naukri karni chahi to bacho ne rok diya;
Kuch ghar pe karna chaha logo ne tok diya, “Tum maa ho bacho ka waqt kyu chin rahi ho!”
Big shout out to moms who carry diapers in bag, for moms who show up at work with milk stains, for moms who cannot restrain tears from trickling down their cheeks when they hold their babies for the first time in their arms, for the mothers who yell at their kids who clamour for ice cream before dinner, for the mothers who defy all odds just to watch her kid perform and repeat to themselves, “That’s my child!!”, for the mothers who taught their children to tie the shoelaces even before they started going to school, for the mothers who incontinently turn their heads when they hear the word “Mom”, for all those mothers whose heart aches to watch her son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time!
Make Mothers Day happy for her by:
- Calling her daily/FaceTime her
- Listen to her—that’s all she wants
- Ek bar punch lo medicine li ki nahi
- Ek bar sirf puch lo ki pair me, dard to nahi
- Give her your time —- just your time!!
Now don’t waste a second and give her a first call right away.