KATHMANDU, MAY 08

The Skanda Purana says, 'There is no shadow, no shelter, no protector like a mother; there is no life giver in this world like a mother'. Just like many, my inclination towards mindful aspects of life, family, relationships and peace was natural during the period of lockdown.

Marked by more than seven years of pain, endurance, patience, resilience and uncertainties, in January 2020, Nirbhaya, a victim of brutal gangrape, got justice. In May 2020, one of my well-wishers asked me if I could write something on Mothers' Day to Asha Devi, Nirbhaya's mother, whom he had got to meet.

It was my first communication and that too virtual - via a text message - with Asha Devi.

I wrote, 'I always wonder why my mother sacrifices so much and does not think for herself and when will you live for yourself? Though I never got an answer, what I've learnt till now is that we won't be able to understand our mothers' stance until we stand at the same place as hers. You are like my mother only, and I wish all the blessings and love to you for your indefatigable efforts for justice. You are a living example of unconditional love and true spirit of a mother.' In reply, she told me to study hard and blessed me to have a successful career and life. She said, 'I will always stand for all the daughters. It is love and support of thousands of people that gave me the courage to fight tirelessly else Nirbhaya's mother died along with Nirbhaya in 2012 only'. That empowering reply from her side invigorated a different spark in me to work harder since then.

Ask somebody who has lost his mother at an early age, and he will explain the emptiness of the much-wanted love which could have been filled by her. By mothers, it is not necessarily the biological connection: ask somebody about a mother's love who never got to see her biological mother but was adopted, nourished and raised as a normal and loved child. Everybody wants a return in lieu of their actions, but a mother, so selfless and determined, does not. Whether it is the love for her children or the desire to see them grow and prosper, her contribution stands as the backbone in our success stories.

We celebrate our birthdays with ebullience and expenses, but we rarely realise that with our birthday comes the birthday of our mothers too because the birth of a child is preceded with unbearable pain and can even cost the life of the mother, too.

Let us wish Happy Mothers' Day (May 8) to all the mothers and even guardians: for bringing us in this universe and teaching precious lessons, for sacrificing so much without asking for anything, for having a welcoming and an always-forgiving heart. Their contribution in this world today is underrated, but they are an indispensable part of our society.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 09, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.