To mom: The best woman on earth

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I lost my father when I was just 11. My sister was 16. All of a sudden our complete family was not complete any longer. I was, of course, too small to comprehend what the loss actually meant for us, but the void had set in. This was way back in 1983.
The maximum impact I am sure, was on my mother. In those days, for a woman to raise two girls all by herself was tough. Although our extended family supported us, it was my mother who shouldered the entire responsibility of bringing us up, instilling in us the right values, discipline and a deep-rooted sense of responsibility.

She was just a normal school teacher earning a very modest salary. Much of her life went in saving - for the education of two daughters, providing a decent living and finally for our marriages. I have always seen my mother cutting corners, killing temptations that her friends gave in to, and pushing herself hard to give us a good life.

Today when she looks at us leading happy, comfortable lives, I know she has only herself to thank - for all the hardships she bore, all the effort she put in and all the sacrifices she made. Yet, I always took her for granted. I believed that a mother is supposed to slog for her children and this belief overshadowed the sacrifices she kept making through the years. For me, my mother was, well, just there.

Until last year, when she was diagnosed with a critical heart condition. A simple check-up led to angiography, which led her to be wheeled into the ICU for an emergency bypass surgery. My whole world came crashing down around me. Thought of possibly losing her scared the daylights out of me.

In the many contemplative hours outside the OT and then ICU, flashes from the past kept coming back to me. My education, my illnesses, my successes, and my failures - it was she who was always around. I realised that what I am today is much the result of her support and immense love. The least my sister and I could do was nurse her back to good heath. And we did that, selfishly. Because we still need her - to be, well, just there.

For me, my mother is the best woman on earth!

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