The hand that rocks the cradle

 

Yesterday was the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti. In the Hindu calender this marks the official end of winter and beginning of spring.

Of the many good will wishes I received from family and friends a few were inspiring and noteworthy.

One such was a video talk by Mr Bhau Torsekar. Another was an audio recording of a speech by Prof Shivajirao Bhonsle. The common theme of both the talks was Mother!

Torsekar spoke about the sacrifices made by Heeraben, the mother of Mr. Narendra Modi, India’s current Prime Minister. The centenarian recently passed away. Prof Bhonsle gave several examples from history where prominent people were shaped by their mothers to become what they did as adults. Adi Shankaracharya, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Swami Vivekananda, Poet Sopandev Choudhary, Mahatma Gandhi.

Both the talks reminded of William Ross Wallace’s poem “ The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world “. 

I wished I had realized the full potential of the responsibility that rested on my shoulders starting from the day I first became mother. I raised both children emphasizing on a life of honesty and hard work, compassion and politeness, education and cultural awareness. I tried to instill in them the faith in God and urged them to take interest in the teachings of the Upanishads and Bhagwad Gita. 

But was that enough ? I did the best I could at the time. But looking back I feel I could have done better. I should have done better. Taught them to put the larger good before their own. Taught them to look at those who had much less than themselves. So many noble things that would make them more useful to the world. 

For all my life I have lived with the grudge that I didn’t get time from my mother in my growing years. That she devoted herself to her profession and thrust us in the care of servants at home. It was my teenage years and youth that I truly missed having a bond with my mother. Perhaps the pain of that deprivation led to the realization of what my kids need and deserve from me. It was the negative experience that reinforced a positive action. 

Listening to the talks from yesterday brought the realization that despite what I missed, there were definitely pages to take from my mother’s book to make a better person out of myself. Her ability to make a personal connection with her patients was extraordinary. Her love for her siblings remains enviable. And above all, to withstand extreme hardships and tragedies and rise out of them unscathed is certainly not a trait seen commonly. 

The negative experience served its purpose until a certain point. It is time to let it go now. And only look back at the good things that mother represented. 

Through my years of grappling with loneliness without the emotional bond with my biological mother I did establish a special bond with the Lord of the Universe. One of these days I have to sit down and put my thoughts together to understand the full extent of everything this relationship has brought to my life. I wonder if I am even capable of doing such a mental review. At a single glance it seems an impossible thing to do. The entire journey is strewn with infinite blessings at every turn, every step. I may never figure out where to begin and where to conclude. One thing for sure, I am not equipped at the moment to even attempt to do such a review. I will leave it at that. 

The only thing I know at this time is that Mother, in any form, any shape, any circumstances is a huge phenomenon with infinite influence……if only the child could grasp! 

I also wish that every mother on earth realizes the power she holds in her hands to shape civilizations to come. I wish there are more mothers created each day like the mothers of Swami Vivekananda or Sopandev Chaudhary. The divine spark that can light the entire universe is mysteriously present in every mother irrespective of whether she is educated or not, whether she is a woman from a tiny village or big city, rich or poor. May every child on earth, me included, find this spark and go on to make this world a better place 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Saree is a much repeated Ajrakh print by my dear friend Irfan Khatri of Ajrakhpur. He did a superb job of transforming my Munga tussar karvati Kinar saree from Vidarbha to this beauty. It is soft, elegant and much comfortable to wear to work or travel. I don’t have to worry if it gets dirty because I can easily wash it at home. Not surprisingly I tend to wear it over and over again without getting tired of it.