Motherhood is a Blessing; Best in The Eyes of a Child

Motherhood is a Blessing; Best in The Eyes of a Child
Kuntala Bhattacharya, 1999 Electronics & Tele-Communication Engineering

Maya Angelou, the famous American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist, had once quoted:
“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power”.

Such is the supreme value of a Mother whose selfless affection nurtures her children, wrapping around layers of warmth and limitless care.

Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year. One may argue why one must celebrate Mother’s Day especially, since every day must be dedicated to her. Yet it is indeed distinctive to spend a day with your Mother, pampering and showering her with intense love and gifts of her choice; to imbibe within her how special she is in your life.

In 2024, Mother’s Day will be celebrated worldwide on 12th May.

Motherhood
Motherhood cannot be defined in a few words. It starts on the day when she bears her baby in her womb and experiences a 9-month journey of pregnancy. The heartbeats, the baby’s movements, the birth pains, and then the glory of her life held in her hands; is truly a divine feeling. The soft touch of her baby’s hands, feet, and body redefines her life.

As she endeavours to protect her baby from the odds, and spends sleepless nights grooming her little one; her life meanders in various paths. Yet she stays steady, instilling her kids with all the tenderness, guarding them from evil. She rolls into the adventure enduring the hiccups and enjoyments with a strong mind and brave heart. Her love is beyond any controllable limits, it exceeds several multiples towards her kids. She enlightens them with her knowledge, rejuvenates them with her confidence, and illuminates them with her courage.

Her responsibilities towards her children are never a burden, she embraces them with open hands. Never tired of answering the inquisitive queries of her kids, eager to wrap them with knowledge and teachings.

She plans ahead, ready to face battles with a smile, not to allow a scratch to harm her kids. Yet she grooms them to be brave; fighting out the odds in grace. Sometimes you are a good mother and sometimes you are not, but both has its significance and deep insights. Juggling between the two and striking a balance is maturity and one of the unique features of motherhood. Motherhood cannot be taught, it is to be felt from within. A powerful force that binds the mind and body with the soul, cherishing and embracing the moments with the kids.

Motherhood is about emotions, flowing through the nerves and veins, that construct a lovely bond with her children. The children float in the emotional lanes, amusing and rejoicing in entirety.

The History…
Tracing back to the history of Mother’s Day, it has been revealed that the celebrations had started years back by the ancient Romans and Greeks. Festivals were held and celebrated honoring Rhea and Cybele, the mother goddesses.

Another tale accrues Mother’s Day to Mothering Sunday, an early Christian festival in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe. The day was celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent when the faithful came back to the ‘Mother Church” for special prayers. It further evolved when children started gifting their mothers with flowers or some tokens of appreciation. With time, the tradition vanished, and then came American Mother’s Day, popular in the 1930s and 1940s.

In the United States, Mother’s Day origin can be dated back to the 19th century. It was Ann Reeves Jarvis who started “Mother’s Day Work Clubs” educating the local ladies on taking care of their kids. In 1868, she conducted “Mother’s Friendship Day” wherein mothers assembled with the former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Another pioneer of Mother’s Day was Julia Ward Howe who in 1970 asked mothers from all over the world to reunite to propagate World Peace. She wrote a Mother’s Day Proclamation and then campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” in 1873. A few other renowned Mother’s Day pioneers include Juliet Calhoun Blakely, Mary Towles Sasseen, and Frank Hering.

The Celebrations…
Though the origin of Mother’s Day is believed to be from the US, the day is now celebrated all over the world in various traditional manners. Some countries celebrate by singing local songs and then gather for a sumptuous feast. Children often present their mothers with flowers, cakes, or other gifts with fondness and affection. In many households, a party is arranged to celebrate the day in a gala way, thus allowing the mothers to relax and enjoy to the fullest. They are not allowed to go for their regular household chores but coaxed with numerous wishes and cuddles.

Panna Dhai
History narrates many tales where mothers have sacrificed people or things closest to their hearts to demonstrate their respect for responsibilities. Today we would specifically mention “Panna Dhai” an iconic figure of the yesteryears.

Panna Dhai was the nursemaid of Udai Singh II of the Rajput dynasty. In 1535 Udai Singh’s mother Rani Karnavati performed Jauhar, leaving her son in the custody of Panna. Vikramaditya, the brother of Udai Singh had occupied the throne after his brother Rana Ratan Singh II. But he was assassinated in 1536 by Banvir, the nephew of Vikramaditya’s father. To be the sole claim for the throne, he attempted to kill Udai Singh as well who was a child by then. News reached Panna Dhai and she replaced Udai sleeping on the bed with his son and managed to smuggle out Udai Singh from Chittor in a basket. When Banvir had arrived inside the room, she pointed to her son claiming him to be Udai Singh. Panna Dhai had to witness the merciless murder of her son, the sacrifice of a mother to save Udai Singh, and to keep the promise she had made to his mother Rani Karnavati.

To respect her sacrifice for Mewar, a museum was created in 2014 portraying her life. Here is a nursing college in Western Jaipur dedicated to her name and also a national award. On the outskirts of Meerut, there is another college named Panna Dhai Maa Subharti Nursing College. A book named “Panna Dai” was written by Sachin Sen Gupta where you can read details about her life.

“Mothers are a treasure which is never ending, whose value cannot be measured, can only be perceived and felt”