Art Of Teaching

MOTHER …. Is the person who looked after my wellbeing with her unconditional love…

Today my mother is sick and with me. So, I felt like writing this blog on a thought that what is the essence of a mother?

I was working full time as Principal and dedicated my life to bringing up my school which was my main focus as well as my bread and butter at the cost of my personal life and family. I thought of all the students in the school as my own and never differentiated among them and my own daughters. I always hear the jibe of my younger daughter that I was always a principal for her and never a mother as she was a student of my school.

But my mother was a full-time mother and a housewife who squashed her dreams of doing something for herself and dedicated her life to her family, me and my brother. My father was always there as a shadow behind her but she was the empowering strength behind the family and a go-getter. I have seen her struggle with finances, being a tower of strength when the employees of Philips India went on strike but my father had to go to work as he could not afford pay loss. My mother used to accompany him and leave him in Band- Box building at Worli and come back alone to the house by changing buses at Dadar at a time when she was unable to speak a word of Hindi. I have seen her make us sit on the dining table in the kitchen as she continued with her cooking in the evening to make us study. She used to cook, clean the house, prepare us for school, leave us and take us back from school and also come in the recess with tiffin to feed us. Though she did not understand a word of English but the fact of her presence was enough for us to study hard, and both of us were relatively very good in studies without any tutors. She only kept a Bengali tutor at home who taught us Science and Math in IX and X standards.

I came across many proverbs for full time mothers………

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.” – Mildred B. Vermont

“A mother’s love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.” – Marion C. Garretty

“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” – Robert Browning

“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” – Princess Diana

 Through the sacrifices of my mother, I understood that Motherhood is a choice that a person makes every day, to put the family’s contentment and comfort ahead of her own. Though sometimes, she needs to be strict for us to learn the hard lessons as she wants us to do the correct thing as per societal norms. She forgives her children over and over again for doing everything wrong but her love never diminishes for her children.

The Sanskrit Shloka for a mother is apt for all mothers of the world.

“Ya Devii Sarva Bhooteshu Matru Roopena Samsthita

Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namaha”

It means that I bend again and again to the Devi, who lives in all beings in the form of a Mother.

“Kuputro bhavati mata hi na kumata”- This means that there may be a bad son but never a bad mother.

 The motherland in most of the languages compares the land to a mother calling it the Motherland.

“Janani, Janmabhumischa Swargadapi garyasi”- As per Lakshmana in Ramayana, the mother and motherland are greater than Heaven itself.

 We should understand that the word family and mother are synonymous in nature. Without a mother there cannot be a concept of a family in the spiritual sense.  We can say that Mother is the divine basis of any home or family.

In this 21^st century, this world of egoistic masculine oriented patriarchal politics and religion resulting in Russia – Ukraine crisis, the Isreal – Palestine conflict, the word MOTHER AND HER PURE LOVE can be a source of inspiration for the upheavals in today’s world. Because we tend to ignore this truth, we see hell in the form of chaotic world order.  

We should never underestimate a mother’s love for her children. In spite of everything she gives her children selfless love. But do we do the same when she is old, sick and helpless. Most of us don’t. We get irritated when they complain of poor health and in this busy world, what goes if we sit next to her without even talking for about 10 minutes every day. Even our small presence will make her comfortable. We need to appreciate her while she is still around because a point will come in our lives when she is gone and no amount of regret will bring her back. When you get irritated, think about when you were small, sick and helpless. Did she ever show her irritation. Never. So stop just from this minute and start appreciating her because the day she is gone you are totally alone in this world in spite of your spouse or children or siblings or father figure.  

Many people have doubts and ask whether a mother always is right and knows what is best for her children.

Mothers are human beings with all the faults and fallacies so it is not right to say that they are always right on their decisions. Any mother who says that they are always right would be termed as very egoistical and would be accused of being a narcissist.  A mother needs to present herself in front of her grown children as a mortal human being with all goodness as well as faults and this will gain them more respect. Mothers need to relate real life understandings to present dilemmas and arrive at preferable reasoning and suggestions. They should not patronize or ever lie to their children. It is a mother’s job to guide and advise but never insist.

I end by saying these words ……..

We should never forget that w were inside our mother’s womb for nine months and she had to face lot of physical and mental difficulties to bring us  to this world. We should never forget the sacrifices she made to see us where we are today. As soon as a woman becomes a mother she starts thinking only of her child, even working mothers like me, who did not get much time to spend with her daughters, but her every action is for the safety of her child. It is only a mother who took care of your health, studies, and everything related to your life. So, when she needs you today, be there for her. When she calls, it is only to hear your voice and be reassured that you are there for her. NEVER IGNORE YOUR MOTHER BECAUSE- IF YOU CAN SEE GOD, THAT IS IN YOUR MOTHER.