Every Day Is Mother's Day

The mother-child relationship is the purest relationship in the world.

- PRIYA S. TANDON

In recent years, it became a fad to celebrate Mother's Day. I often wonder why Indians are so enamored by the ways of the West.

In the western world, youngsters leave home in their teens and fend for themselves. Mother's Day is a designated day for them to come and meet their mothers once a year. They may even skip the trip and just send a bouquet of flowers with a 'Happy Mother's Day' greeting card. The day, and many others akin to it, have been popularized by those for whom this was a business proposition. Innumerable cards, flowers, teddies, chocolates, etc., are sold the world over on these days. If you look closely, they have nothing to do with our culture but have just been copy-pasted on our psyche.

Contrarily, in the Bhartiya culture, mothers look after the children much beyond their growing up. I would say that mothers look out for their children forever. I remember a time when my Dadi told my mother, "Madan lissa ho gaya hai. Eh nu changi khuraak deya kar!" (Madan—my father, had lost weight and was looking weak, so she should give him a better diet) We all had a good laugh because my Dad was always overweight! But mothers are mothers!