Mother's Day

Maa used to softly laugh and say, "Every day is 'Mother's Day” when I would call to tell her it was Mother's Day. This is a small incident that I would like to share with my readers.

I was in my final year of graduation and as usual, the next morning I went to my college. Generally, our classes got over by 2 pm, and within an hour we used to go back home. It was the last week of November and Doon Valley was getting cold. So, by 5 pm it used to get dark. That day after our Literature class was over we came to know that the Psychology professor was on leave and it didn’t take much time for us to make a quick decision to go to the main market to have ‘chaat masala’.

Nishita and Uma were neighbors and told their common friend, Ishika to tell their mothers that they would be late going home. I told a junior class girl to tell my mother I would be late coming home. In those days we never had mobile phones, forget about mobile, even landline phone was a luxury.

We went walking up to the city’s clock tower. Though it was quite far, walking together was fun.

Just behind the clock tower was the chaat gali and all of us made ourselves comfortable at the shop. Joginder Ji knew us well and he took special care of making the chaat with lots of masalas and curd with soft dal pakodas that are fried and then squeezed in water. We also had paani puri and then went to the main market for window shopping.

At home, my Maa was not informed, as the junior girl didn’t take things seriously and forgot to tell her. Every day Maa used to wait for me and my siblings and then together we used to have food. That day she became restless as the Grandpa clock struck 4 and slowly she took big steps to walk up to the T point where the city bus used to come. Though I used

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to walk back, sometimes I took the bus home.

She reached the stop and waited for the bus to come. After a few minutes as the bus came she eagerly waited for the passengers to get down but ‘No’ I was not there. Then she asked the conductor if previously any young girl got down. The man was perplexed and looked at her face, ‘Maaji many people got down and some boarded, how do I know who your daughter is?’ Ah! Ok, then she slowly walked back home hoping if and if I came back from the other way to our home.

This way she kept on walking up and down several times when a kind shopkeeper gave her stool to sit down at the stop.

By the time I reached the T point by bus, I saw Maa sitting on the stool near a shop. It was almost 5.30 and the sky was pinkish to dark. I was totally taken aback and asked Maa ‘ Didn’t the girl give you the message that I would be late?’ Maa nodded her head but I was a bit annoyed with Maa too. ‘I am no longer a kid and in my late teens, why do you worry so much?’ Maa looked at my face and I could make out how tired she was but from the bus stop to home she walked quietly. Later when we were having dinner, she told me, ‘Today you will not understand why I was taking several rounds and waiting for you but tomorrow when you have children, you will realize why I sat on the cold winter evening on the stool’.

Things ended there and one by one sisters got married and our brother went for higher studies.

‘Yes, Maa today when I have become a mother I understand the same feelings; circumstances have changed but worries are the same. Today we live in a world of landline connections and mobiles but anxiety and worry are the same.’ You are now dear to God and smile from Heaven but your words I have kept them in my heart.’