Mothers’ Day is celebrated to honour motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in our lives. Due to their words, support and unconditional love, they have a profound influence on their children.
With nuclear families becoming the order of the day, mothers no doubt play a major role in shaping the career of their wards. And their responsibilities double when they are working mothers.
Says Sheela, an activist, “In a country like India, celebration of motherhood happens almost every day. We may call it a Western influence to earmark a particular day to show our love and affection towards moms. Economic and even technological changes have changed the landscape of motherhood in recent decades. It has added more pressure and increased needs. Remember, until a couple of decades ago, more than half of mothers stayed at home with their kids. Today both parents work in a majority of families. Moms are always best. Their care and concern are unmatched.”
“My mom is not just my pillar of support but a source of inspiration,” says Geetha, an entrepreneur in Mambalam. Raised by a single mother, she has come up the hard way. “Never she took rest until I was ready to fly on my own. She hid her sorrow and emotions after losing my father soon after marriage. Perhaps on this day, I would resolve to help such single mothers who run from pillar to post for a better tomorrow of their children.”
“A mother is no doubt an epitome of sacrifice. If not her, we would be nowhere,” she adds.
In India’s rich culture and tradition, we see mother’s love in everything. From the nation to nature, it is there everywhere. Unfortunately, we have lost our way to Western influence. The world has become so busy that we earmark just one day to celebrate her love. And shockingly, the number of old age homes is on the rise in the recent past. This is the result of shift in the mindset of youngsters for they have started to consider their parents a ‘burden’.
“It is pathetic to come across parents, who raised their children and nurtured them in every aspect of life, sleeping on pavements and eating food picked from dustbins in streets,” says Kannan, who takes care of old mothers at an orphanage in Chrompet.
“The concept of Mothers’ Day is being exploited by businesses for their own profits. They come up with special goodies for sale and they are everywhere on social media catching the attention of the users. Presenting these gifts to mother is no match to giving them a warm hug and a kiss to them. Also, several stores and restaurants offer special discounts on this day. However, no offer or discount can ever match up to their selfless love,” says Abhinaya, a resident of T Nagar.