Oh! Mother Of Mine

Raghav's mother became ecstatic as soon as she saw him. She asked "what snacks have you brought for me today"

Raghav putting up a sad face retorted back " you don't even ask how I am. Only interested in snacks, I bring."

He wasn't sad but made out a face like as if he was. Mother has been at the elderly care for a few months now. She has kind of adjusted to her new home. Of course, now and then she would say" I don't like the food here. These people do not know how to cook" she would complain. "sambar is like rasam and rasam is like hot water, spiced up a bit" she would add in good measure.

Raghav would look at her and ask " you do know from the age of sixteen until I got married at twenty-five I lived by myself. I ate hostel and outside food. Have I ever come running to you and cried over your shoulders about food?"

Mother would keep quiet. She devoured the sundal he had brought. She asked " who made this? it is good."

Raghav thought of what his mother used to say in his childhood. "when the horse gets hungry it would eat even horse gram" she would often retort back. As children the policy was eat what gets served. That policy has served him well during his growing up days. He thought of his cousin who quit his job because he couldn't adjust to the food when he got a rural posting. Since then it has been one downhill for him in his career. 

Raghav looked around in the reception area. Many like him had come to visit their parents. Some of the old men and women were in far worse condition in their body. Some one was shrunk and he could see only skin and bones. Another man's head was shaking all the time. Such homes for elderly care were in demand. 

He had found this one in Google and some one in his neighbourhood had used this care facility and had said ok. 

Mother had a shared room with attached bath and toilet. The room was big and the presence of another didn't bother his mother. What she did bother about was her food. Raghav would say "this is it, Amma. No one can cook for you alone."

Mother had stopped crying which she did in the first few weeks. Young girls in a roster took charge of her and gave her a bath and changed her diapers as and when needed. There were competent nurses too. Raghav found the one from Manipur to be sincere and friendly. 

The way she looked reminded Raghav of what he would become in his old age. Raghav had realised that he was very much like his mother in attitude. But he made sure that he kept his fitness going and worked on his writing which was becoming more than a hobby. He hoped that both aspects would stand him good in his twilight age. 

 He would say to his friend Revathi " for me every saturday is mother's day." Both would smile at his quip. Revathi worked as a gynaecologist at a local hospital. He would call on her on his way home and over a cup of coffee have a gossip session. Revathi and Raghav were school mates and rediscovered each other through WhatsApp. They stayed in touch since then.

Revathi had told him about her mother's story in one such gossip session. Her mother had divorced when she was a teen-ager. Her dad lost his leg at the war front and returned home a bitter man. The trauma he had post-operation and recovery time finished her parent's marriage. Revathi thought her mother was selfish and hated her for divorcing her dad. She never spoke to her mother until recently. Her mother had celebrated her sixtieth birth day and Revathi got invited. She joined the celebration and since then their relationship had been on an even keel.

"How come" asked Raghav.

Revathi wiped her eyes and spoke in a melancholic tone. She said " I was a teen-ager and felt insecure by the divorce. I thought mother to be selfish. But I now understand that Dad had become difficult to handle. He got admitted in a mental hospital and died there."

She paused and gathered herself. Then she added " now i understand what mother had gone through. I have come across such cases in my medical profession. I want to make up with my mom for the lost years."

 "You know Raghav, she had told my step dad she would not have another child. She had been pining for me since the separation."

In another occasion Revathi detailed out a case of one of her patients. Poornima had distended Uterus. Her pregnancy meant that she had to be supine all the time. Poornima suffered this ordeal for seven-eight months. She finally delivered through a c-section. 

How is Poornima doing? asked Raghav.

"There lies the irony" exclaimed Revathi. "She is undergoing a depression. She had left her job and now not enjoying her motherhood. She wants to get back to working but not finding a suitable position." 

"Plus her darling son is not turning out to be the one in her dreams" added Raghav.

How did you know that? Was it a guess? asked Revathi.

Raghav nodded. 

"Motherhood is not that rosy as made out in our culture. Husbands/families are not usually that supportive. The mother gets full time pre-occupied" sighed Revathi.

"Oh! pranaam Sadgurudev" Raghav mocked at her.

Revathi hit him with a magazine at hand and they both laughed at the satirical remark. They both knew whom Raghav had in mind. 

These are time when gurus have taken to social media and competing with each other for followers. 

"You know our PM has beaten them all. He has now twenty million followers in You Tube " observed Raghav with a sardonic expression. 

"Cosmic Guru" exclaimed Revathi as she laughed. Raghav joined the laughter. 

"Let me go now" said Raghav as he picked up his cycle helmet. 

"by the way" began Revathi in a serious tone. "I am now three months pregnant."

Raghav shook his head in disbelief. "you womankind, will always remain a mystery." Yet my friend he added as a parting shot "my shoulders are always there for you to cry upon."

As he pedalled across a small temple by the road they were playing a Tamil song song. "thayil sirandha kovil illai" that meant there is no greater temple than one's mother. 

Raghav chuckled to himself.