‘Maa’, the name itself comes within.. deep from the heart.  She is just like the pronunciation of the word ‘Maa’ – compassionate, pleasant and packed with emotions. There’s a reason why no emotion is greater than a mother’s love for her children and I have a story to share, not that I want to prove any mother’s love for her kids as it needs no proofs, no stories.. It is just that how my mother holds a special place in my heart for how hard it was to raise me. Today is Mother’s Day and this is a gift that she deserved long ago, a recognition!

I grew old without a father, it was just me and mother. The fact that I never knew who my father was and why I am a single child, kept affecting me until I was quite matured to understand the worldly matters. Upon asked for years, I encountered with the truth that I would never forget nor that I wanted to hear. It was painful but I had the right to know my past and I perceived myself as an ‘Unwanted Child’.

Just like many unfortunates in India, I was one of the unwanted GIRL child. My father threw me in a garbage bag on discovering that I was a girl, not boy and my mother had to pick me up from there to raise me all by herself. She had to fight the entire family for giving birth to me and for doing so she was kicked out of the family. The family offered a condition to allow her in a family: Get rid of me and give a birth to a boy! Neither giving birth to a baby boy was in my mother’s hand nor getting rid of me a human thing! She rejected the offer and began the life of struggle, just for me! Mother went through all kinds of trials and tribulations raising me up and sacrificed everything just to give me the right to exist.

As a kid and for few years after the tragedy, we lived in a hut at slum areas as we could not afford even basic necessities of life. Mother opted 3 jobs and also taught herself basic English, accountancy and computer science all on her own. She sent me to school and never made me feel I that I had no family or a father! She became my everything and devoted her every moment to my upbringing! Years passed in struggles, at times she slept without food but made sure I sleep full stomach! I am glad she was little educated to learn the basic things at her jobs.

Today, I can read, write and speak english because of her. I have studied well throughout and it’s everything I have, I owe that to my mother. At times, I wonder what would have happened to me if she had accepted her family’s condition to be included as a family member again? My existence would have been doubtful. But she was there and she is there today as well.

Currently, she is involved with few NGOs working for homeless women and children as that is the cause closest to her heart. I help in her dream job, we also have adopted some homeless women and children, who are victims of domestic violence and abuse. We try providing them with shelter, food, clothes, education, health checkups and means to earn livelihood all by asking or connecting them to the well earning people, find such people and inform the NGO’s, or try our best to give a part of our earnings. I am so proud of my mother to teach the moral of life, for she is my mother.

When I was growing up, I often asked her, doesn’t she feel hatred towards father for what he has done to us? To this she would simply say, ‘Who am I to judge anyone, everyone has their own burden of Karma, what I need to do is live my life being the best person I can be ‘– AND THIS IS THE LEGACY, The HEIRLOOM, that I wish to pass on to my kids. She has taught me the real value of patience, of determination, of humility, of forgiveness, of peace and of love and I want to pass them to my kids one day!

I know this world is a harsh place and life is difficult but no matter what happens, we all need to remember that spark of humanity inside us and never let that flame of compassion and humanity die! That is what I learned from my mother and that is what I hope my kids learn from me and remember me by! She is the best example of COURAGE and INNER STRENGTH a woman would ever carry. This Mother’s Day, I pay my heartfelt tribute to her, My Goddess – My Mother!

* Name changed in the title!