I have a large extended family, many of whom are spread out across the world. We try our best to keep in touch, but distance does take its toll. As a way to enable the family members to know each other better and to commemorate the many mothers within my family I thought I’d make an attempt to collect different memories and emotions that family members have and so on this occasion of Mother’s Day, I asked some of my family members to speak a bit about their mothers.
Radha Warrier, my dad’s youngest sister or Rachitta as we fondly call her is 82 yrs old and this what her older daughter Shreedevi has to say about her mother:
Shreedevi describes her mother as loving and supporting. They (Shree and her sister Rajashree) are two girls born to Radha. Back in the Sixties, having a son was very important to many people. Shreedevi says they were very lucky. From her childhood, she remembers her mother calling them the two Laxmis of the house. Goddess Laxmi is a very important symbol of richness and prosperity in Indian mythology. Radha was always happy and satisfied and despite people suggesting that she should try and have a boy, she’d reply saying her daughters were as good as having two sons. Both their parents never made gender distinctions and they never felt any the less because of this.
Shreedevi remembers that the atmosphere of the household was always conducive to studies. Even now at 62, her mother encourages her to go on and do her PhD. Shreedevi lives and works full time in Muscat but her mother says she could always come back home to Kerala and stay with her and continue her studies. She assures her daughter that she will make sure that Shreedevi will have everything that's needed to create an environment that's favourable to study in and to complete the PhD. Shreedevi says that she's stumped by her mother's continued support and her faith that her daughter would be able to do anything to which she sets her mind.
Another area that her mother keeps encouraging her is in Mohiniattam, a classical dance of Kerala, India. For Shreedevi this is a passion that she picked up some years ago and though she is still learning, it is her mother’s fond wish to see her perform in the Guruvayoor temple, a very prestigious stage for dance.
Rachitta’s encouragement is unceasing. She asks her daughter about her dance practice, continuing to compliment her and reinforce her abilities. Shreedevi attributes her academic successes from her childhood to her mother. After she completed her Bachelors, her mother encouraged her to do her Masters even though she was already married by then. After finishing a Masters in Arts, Shreedevi completed her Masters in Nursing. A "you can do it" from her mother was always enough for Shreedevi to achieve and go beyond any limits.
Yet another quality that Shreedevi loves about her mother is the faith she has had in her abilities. From childhood and then from when she took up nursing training at 17, Shreedevi says that her mother trusted her blindly. In all matters related to health, if their daughter advised Radha or her husband to follow something, they would follow it. Whether it's to reduce their salt intake or brush their teeth twice a day or washing hands frequently, her parents did what they were advised or by copying what their daughter was practicing at home. Even now at 82, Radha does Yoga and exercise largely because Shreedevi asks her to keep her body moving.
For Shreedevi, it is her mother’s protective nature that she falls back upon. She knows that if her mother senses over the phone that her daughter is tired, even today, she will keep tabs on Shreedevi's energy and health and check on her frequently. It’s great to see my aunt through her daughter’s eyes and I agree with my cousin that her mother has several sterling qualities indeed. For me, Rachitta is one of the most positive and happy people I know. Always smiling, I have never ever seen her angry or heard her complain, no matter what the circumstances. Unabashedly joyful, that's Radha Warrier for you.
#mothersday #ourmothers #motherslove #loveforever #foreverlove
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