pantheon, as a remembrance, invocation or as the saviour. No wonder, even the English Collins dictionary describes the word as informal terms like mother. Be it mother, someone like mother, or the Goddess,
Maa is an integral part of the Indian psyche. From the first cries of an infant who utters the word unknowingly to crying in despair due to pain, the utterance of the word Maa comes naturally and spontaneously.
Be it the mother or Goddess, the word is the reason of our existence in this world. We celebrate many festive occasions as a tribute to Maa, the Goddess and the all protecting mother and seek her blessings. On the occasion of Durga Puja, it would be befitting to offer obeisance to Maa, my mother, who I consider at par with Goddess Durga, who bestows her blessings on me in every breath, who stands by me in every odd, guides me, protects me and gives me strength to take the world head on.
It was a few months back, when I saw Maa lying unconsciously on a bed inside the recovery room post a life threatening surgery. She was still, and my heart beat skipped a little. I had to actually get closer to her face to see if her breath was normal or not. Pipes of all types were attached to her body and monitoring systems were sounding their beeps in many variations. It was unnerving, quite a lot, and I tried to utter Maa
many times but failed since I was already crying by then. It was the most terrifying moment of my life. I knew my father was a pillar of strength for me and could never think of being in this world without him but Maa, this was the first time, I realised how strongly I need her to be normal. I had branched out of her, she had infused prana into me and today, her plight made me weaker. I was told she will be fine in a few hours, I hoped so. She is still recovering and everytime I see her, I find her sapped of energy but with the same concern, love and warmth she always exudes. On this Durga Puja, I wish she gives me
the same support she has always given.
I remember, when I was barely 10, I fell down and bruised my legs so much that, out of fear I wanted to keep it away from my mom’s eyes till it healed though my frocks were long enough to hide the wound. It
was when she was in the bathroom, that I could look at the bruises and pour some antiseptic on it. I slept peacefully that night hoping Maa doesn’t know about it. At mid of night when I woke up to some kind of
feeling that someone was putting some ointments on my leg that I realised, it was Maa. She knew I had bruises and didn’t want to show her. She kept pushing gushes of air from her mouth so that the
medicine on the wound doesn’t wake me up. This was Maa. I wish, she keeps besides me whenever I am injured, mentally or physically.
I never felt close to Maa during my college life. There were incidents that scarred me but I knew I could fall back on Maa whenever I want. I did actually when I was in deep trouble. She was silent all through
may be with a feeling that I hid so many things from her, but she, in her silence, let me feel that I am not alone. I wish, she stays with me forever so that I never feel lonely, all my life.
When my daughter was born, Maa let me sleep and kept singing lullaby to my kid all night despite knowing well that she will have to be back in her school in the morning. Maa’s presence made me feel, my daughter
had another Maa at her side to make her sleep and feel comfortable. I remember, how Maa used to guard me from wearing skirts that were a little less than the knee level or necks that were deep enough to attract the wrong attention. I never liked those things then, but today, my daughter has made me realise, Maa was
right and she can never think wrong about her children.
Not that I exercise the same on my daughter, but the values she ingrained in me have left such an indelible impression on me that I can proudly pass that over to my daughter. I learnt everything from you Maa and I know you are my teacher, mentor, friend and guide. I would wish, as Durga Maa brings along with her happiness and strength all through the year in her myriad forms, Maa holds my hands for all times to come and gives me strength to face the world.
excellent
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