Mothers are a different lot. They come
from heaven. They give everything they have to their children and
become happy in what they have given. Then, they smile and return
to heaven to smile at as twinkling stars at night to look after us.
This was the case of my mother who never asked anything but always
wanted to see us happy and wanted to give us something always, how so
ever, little it was!
When we were little children she used
to take us to the morning mass, through the short cut way, through
the paddy fields and by lanes. In those days, the by lanes were
un-tarred and on both sides were hedges made by little bamboo
branches with thorns. Well done up by the artisans of the time and
bound by the latest kind of steel wire, these hedges were places
where snakes made their nests and even other wise grazing them will
bruise us. Mother always watched over us to see we did not walk too
close to the hedge or our feet do not strike against little rock
stones which protruded at places on the walk path.
Once on the motor roads she was all
eyes and ears to see that we cross the road safely, even though
vehicular traffic was very little. She gave us directions to be
pious in the church and be attentive before we entered the church.
On the way back she allowed us to collect holy water for the house
hold use from a special area where it was kept for taking by the
parishners. At times I watched here during the mass and she was on
her knees with the customary kerala Christian dress fully immersed in
prayer. It seemed she was seeing Jesus and was talking to him for
our well being. I never thought, she ever, prayed for herself. It
will always be for us or for Father or somebody who is sick or in
difficult circumstances in the family.
Once home, she was busy preparing food
for us. In preparing food in olden times, it was A to Z work without
the help of any kind of gadgeteries. Apart from the curring knife,
scraping seat and the grinding stone everything had to be done by
hand. The vessels were earthenware and the normal kitchen fire was
smoky if one did it without expertise. Once suffered a lot of smoke
and heat in the process any way as continuous standing near the item
being cooked was a necessity as many of the dainty dishes were cooked
under continuous stirring in low heat. Whenever things are put on
low heat cooking, it is customary, the time taken will be much
longer. This was the reason of the extreme patience of all golden
mothers. And my mother did it every day.
The one and only request my mother made
to me was “Son, now you can go and study”: She always said that
and that sent me away to the front of the house where I used to sit
down for study. While studying, she will come near me always asking
“Do you want some tea?” Tea is only tea water only, a little tea
dust boiled in water with a piece of jaggery. That was the stuff we
had and that was the stuff we took. This too was normally supplied
in the households only in the morning and evenings. But in our case
as most of the children were studying, most of the time, one
relaxation was put for us, that tea water is supplied and I was a
permanent welcomer to this peculiar drink which till date thrills me.
My mother will be smiling in heaven when I write this. She always
knew, I liked it and she brought it to me upteen number of times,
when she came to me to speak to me, about general matters.
Every once in a while she made some
delicacy or the other and fed us. At times father brought choicest
fish and it was mother who cooked it or fried it under father's
directions. Such culinary delights from such ever fresh fish or
meat, I have, never had even in the best of holtels, all over the
world. Father used to say : “Eat as much as you can now when we
are able to procure and feed it to you. In your own times, how so
ever rich you may be, who knows, whether you can have all that
delights”. He proved proverbial. Mother always sided with him and
said : “Just heard what he said, have as much as you want” We
did have as much as we wanted whenever supply was plenty.
Once while she was returning from
church there was a small hurricane and all the trees were shaking.
This was time just before the rains and rains were in the offing.
She was walking home and she found the mango trees are shaken
violently and all the ripe mangoes were falling on the road. She
picked up as much mangoes as she could, kept in her whilte dothi
(which she used to wear specially for church only) slowly walked back
home without any consideration about her own safety. The garden
fresh mangoes were a relishers delight. While relishing the mangoes,
I asked her “Mother, you should have taken shelter somewhere,
instead of going collecting the mangoes” She was casual in her
reply : “When we come from church, Jesus will not allow any harm to
come to us, not even a single mango tree or its branch fell whole of
the time, I was on the road!” I was aghast at her deep faith!
Times went by and Ileft for my job to
far off Delhi which took the first toll through the death of my
father. He could not take the shock of my leaving the family. It
became evident to me after a few months of my leaving home, which was
a full home of several children and father and mother, as was the
order of most of the households of the time. But against all odds,
mother held on. She said “My son has got a good jobs far away in
Delhi, but he comes every year” ! She said the every year with
insistence. That was the ration of time, I could provide her! Once
she said: “Ever since you leave, I keep counting the dates on the
calendar..!” This statement of hers used to wet my eyes even to
this day, even after long long she is gone..! She is still counting
the dates for me in Heaver..!
The love of mothers...! That is
unparalleled..! Those who enjoyed, those who relished it can never
forget it..! (About the love of the father, next time...!)
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