My Mother
Ashim Kumar Paul
Ma,
one of the shortest words in Bangla language, epitomises the supreme sign of its
meaning, dignity, honour, love and passion that remain dormant in every heart.
Nothing can be deemed valuable in the world as the very word signifies. A
mother’s love is the greatest unconditional and infinite love that we will ever
experience in our existence. Therefore, to honour mothers and celebrate
motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society, the
“International Mother’s Day” is celebrated around the world. It seems to be a
universal thing that cultures want to earmark a day every year for honouring the
act of motherhood. Though there are many different Mother’s Days celebrated
around the world, the most common alternative date is the second Sunday in May.
There are some
stories behind the commencement of the celebration of Mother’s day. The more
recent history of Mothers Day goes back to 1600s in England. Here, a Mothering
Sunday was celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period
leading up to Easter) to honour mothers. After a prayer service in church to honour
Virgin Mary, children brought gifts and flowers to pay tribute to their own
mothers. On the occasion, servants, apprentices and other employees staying
away from their homes were encouraged by their employers to visit their mothers
and honour them. Traditionally, children brought with them gifts and a special
fruit cake or fruit-filled pastry called a simnel. Yugoslavs and people in
other nations have observed similar days. Custom of celebrating Mothering
Sunday died out almost completely by the 19th century. However, the day came to
be celebrated again after World War II, when American servicemen brought the
custom and commercial enterprises used it as an occasion for sales.
In Bangladesh,
people, on the very day, wish their mothers with “Mother's Day gifts” in
conjunction with organising assorted programmes paying their deep respect to
their mothers and honouring their contributions to society as well. In
addition, different government, non-government and socio-cultural organisations
take elaborate programmes to mark the day. The programmes include holding
discussion, reception and cultural programmes.
However, when I
thought of the very day to write, all my interests began to evolve around one
face, I like the most---my mother. This write-up aims to accentuate my love,
respect and attachment towards my mother as well as every mother on earth.
My mother who
was a member among ten offspring family of my grandparents was married off in
her early age. After stepping into another big family, consisting of more than
ten members, she had gone through enormous experiences regarding many family
issues i.e. maintaining an extended family by moderate finance, bringing up her
little brothers and sisters-in-laws, doing all household works single-handedly etc.
As my grandmother had earlier passed away leaving her four infants, my mother
lent her motherly love to rear them up. Notwithstanding her early age and
having not enough experience in leading such a big family and its domestic
affairs as the head, she would perfectly look after them and still does.
However, anyone
in my family I was much scared of in my early days if I did a mistake was no
one but my mother! Again, she stood up as the source of my inspiration for any
good work. In this regard, I can relate two of my experiences that happened in
my boyhood. Perhaps, I was a student of four or five grades at the time when I
came across a blissful experience in life. I used to write poems and rhymes in
school days but nothing of them paid off to be printed in the newspapers.
However, one day I found my poem published in a newspaper! Being excited and
thrilled, I rushed to my mother and let her see it. I had a fear whether she
would like my writing or not. But my assumption proved wrong as she was quite
enthusiastic to find my name and write-up printed on the page of newspaper.
Whenever I see the rhyme, I feel her delighted face and find vigour to continue
my efforts.
I ran into
another experience during my final exam of nine grades. Bangla 2nd
paper was scheduled to be held in that very day. That morning, I was patting a
knife kept in our kitchen. Suddenly, my left hand got wounded with the edge of
the knife. At the very outset, I was caught flat-footed over the accident. But
when my mother found my hand incessantly bleeding, she cried out in tears. I
was rushed to the chamber of a doctor in front of my house. Taking no notice of
my hand, I looked at the eyes of my mother, full of tears. While the doctor was
dressing my wounded hand, her eyes were still in full brim of tears. I was
frightened of being rebuked for my misdemeanour and accordingly, I kept myself
silent. But she began to take care of me instead of bringing me to the book! A tear
rolled down my face with her care.
Sometimes, the
ways of our life are blocked by several complications and thereby, we think ourselves
as the most unfortunate ones. Our hopes are lost and the light of aspiration is
turned off. But I strongly believe your woes will be evaporated in this overcast
ways of life if you go through the words produced by Abraham Lincoln: “No man is poor who has a Godly mother”. I
never regard myself as the unfortunate one, in truth.
