1. Over indulged in sweet meats, delicacies, fried stuffs and unhealthy food. I am not allowed too much to foray into oily stuffs but didn't resist the temptation despite the cholesterol issue. I need better will power to say NO.
2. Spent an entire day at a conference, something that I've done not for the first time but this was one occasion where I wasn't worn or torn. The corporate guy that I turned into pulled through the entire day, felt fresh, watched the speeches, wrote poems for the blog and could still manage striking conversations with people post 8 pm during cocktail time. I treated myself with wine.
3. A record of sort broken at the other end of the fence where I kicked my ass into action in doing jogging and walking at the park to reach the magical milestone of 15 km. I now belong to two extremes, setting the bar higher and over indulging into eating stuffs. Gotta better chuck out fats and avoid nullifying the fitness points I am achieving with too much of food that can be harmful to the health.
4. Finally, I am reading well and making good progress with George Orwell's 1984 where I am halfway through just by sitting to read in the coffee shop. There was a decade back while still in India would lap books by sitting at Barista or CCD in Pune and Mumbai.
5. Attended the prayer meet for my bua who was another mom to me and passed away on the first day of the month. I can still see her shadow in front of me and her voice feels alive in my ears. Today, I was feeling sad and missing her on mother's day. Such moments of love shall remain forever with me.
6. On Mother's Day, surprised Maa with an Indian dinner with non-veg chicken, dal makhni and mattar paneer for dinner. Gifts don't need to be in kind but food strengthening the bond, a symbol of love and affection.
7. Some people pissed me off with their attitudes and deciding to placate them at the risk of being arrogant. At times, one need to be diplomatic to avoid negativity and the other, refuse to be taken for a ride. It made me happy, yes!
Wake up on time. Avoid oily food. Take medicines for upset stomach. Always reach exam hall in time and keep a couple of pens in case one goes Kaput. That was Mom to me during college days in Mumbai and Pune during our phone conversation. I just wanna yell, Mom!! I am a grown up now. Something that been oft-repeated to the 10 and 16-year old self.
Revisit Mom in 2012 where I reached 30 plus. I could have been married with kids but I am not. Wake up early to catch the bus to work/interview. You cannot trust those buses, they are never on time. Have your tiffin on time. How many times should I told you to switch off the lights?! You are not serious at all and you will never be. Mom's oft-repeated phrases ring a bell in my ear. I so wanna yell, Mom! I ain't a toddler and a grown up adult now. Or, she slowly walks to check if I am sleeping past 2 a.m, her dozing off interrupted by Baba dearest. Guess, some things never change with Indian Moms, scattered all over the planet.
I still hide and smoke, be it on the balcony or inside my room pulling the window wide open while she is watching TV. Still getting caught to an earful of the harmful effect of nicotine inside the body, not without being chided like a teeny weeny teen.
You must be wondering 90s same story, 2000s a repeat and 2016 a revisiting same dialogues. Guess!! The perks of staying with your Mom and trust me when you get married, it won't stop. The heart of a mother is still like the Nirupa Roys of Deewar or Subhash Ghai's Khal Nayak, Oh! Ma Tujhe Salam'. In outlook, they may have donned the mantle of a Lilette Dubey, sweet Reema Lagoo, Ratna Pathak, Dimple Kapadia or Jaya Bachchan but their heart remains in the right place laden with ladoo and gulab jamun the emotional way.
That's Mom on Mother's Day when I yell, Happy Mother's Day. She turns with 'Oh! Really!!' before mopping and making the Ghar ka Khana. That's my Mom. Teary, emotional, strict and lovable that what Moms do for we never grow up in front of their eyes.
Come fast and the food is getting cold. I think I better go before I hear the refrain. What your Maa moment this Mata Diwas? No!! I didn't post selfie on FB how much I love my Mom.
Today is Mata Diwas, opps Mother's Day. Cash crunch?! I ask what are Mom's for? Ma will complain but ultimately give but how much is debatable. It's been a great journey with Mom, from the strict disciplinarian who will never loosen the rope and the lovable one, showering flawless and selfless love. Even in her ghussa their is love, from scolding to make me feel like a child at an irritating level, it's her way of showing affection. It makes me wonder whether I'll ever grow up in Mom's company. Here, some quirky characteristics of Mom on Mother's Day. Enjoy!
Noise pollution
Mom can be a noise pollution, increasing the decibel level to an octane level which makes me retaliate but attempting to compete with her. I naturally lose the battle with her telling to put my stuff in order, the wardrobe, table. You name it, you get it!! I feel like a teenager rebelling against her when she scolds on why I keep smoking and the whole drama.
Ekta's soap opera
Speaking of drama, Mom can go dramatic by getting inspiring by Ekta Kapoor's soap operas. 'Kyon ki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi' narrating to me how I am turning down matches made in heaven and that I will end up alone when she's gone. So much drama baazi, one has to take a cue from Mom. By watching Mom getting into drama mode, I can rake the moolah by scripting a narrative to Balaji Telefilms, I tell you, Ekta Kapoor, just knock on my door!
Bandit Queen
Now, who can compete with Mom on that? The moment she raises her voice, you are as good as dead, whether throwing the clothes on the bed to iron some stuffs and if you don't neatly arrange them back in its place, calamity will strike. Not just me, even those municipal council guys who forget to do their work properly or the phone provider who won't come to fix the land line, will see Mom going to their office to create a ruckus. The end result: The poor guys will jump straight to our house to fix up things.
Night owl
Now, I am a night owl and dunno whether I have inherited the qualities from Mom and make her stay awake. Being a journalist, there are days when I reach home in the wee hours and Mom will stay up to the lark and will not sleep till I am not served food. At times, I get irritated and protest, Mom, I am not a child. But, I realize that in Mom's scolding and taking me to be a child, there is love.
Pampered Me,Whom you kidding?
It's the biggest joke to say that I am a pampered child. Ok! Dad would pamper me a lot but Mom is a strict disciplinarian where I get my way very rarely. I do feel caged to be in Mom's clutches when sometimes, it's her way or the highway. But, I am a rebel remember and there are plans to fly off to conquer the world in some far-off corner in the world. I wanna say that staying faraway from parents make us grow as individuals and that doesn't mean we don't love our parents. Jokes apart, it's very important to be disciplined and we shouldn't get stuck into emotional decisions coz it never help us as humans.
Bhajan, Puja and other rituals
Mom is an expert with her regular fasts and paying obeisance to the God by visiting them every othe day to the temple. Being a total Tangdi Kabab and agnostic, it gets to me when I am being fed veggie on days during the Durga Puja, Hanuman Jayanti and Satya Sai Baba day. You name it, you get it! Sometimes, I can be mean and take my sweet revenge by taking a dig, Mom, is there any day when you don't fast. In fact, I am amused at her devotion to the Gods.
Mom's revenge
Mom is not just super Mom but super smart by turning some joke or something on me. Just today, she was telling that there is a marriage in the family but since, I was not willing to go, she's like, ok she'll go and stay over. I joked, cool! I get the house all for myself. She threw a bomb on me,'Yeah, one day will come where I'll be gone and you will be on your own. Oho! Emotional Mom.
Folks! This was meant to be a fun post on Mom's quirky behavior. I know,our Moms love us loads and they do everything for us when we browbeaten and dead. They are our bank account we turn to and nurse us when we are ill.
A small wish in my heart to U, Maa. I have always been scared to tell you, How Much I Love You. I am grateful for how you sacrificed your life for me. You constantly chide me, you shout at me. Yet! You love me a lot Happy Mother's Day. Today, is Mother's Day, a day where we declare our love to our mom. Mother's Day, some argue, has been hijacked by big retail shops to make a killing on the market. Though it is not an entirely dubious argument, the fact remains that it is a day to shower our love to our mother. I have always believed that one do not need a Mother's Day to shower our love and affection to the one who gave us birth and sacrificed her life so that we are able to stand our feet. My Mom& Me: Though I am an adult, mom constantly nag me and treat me like a kid. I know that it can be irritating at times but the fact is that there is so much love when my mom shout and press on me to do things. Before, I was born mom was working women but she decided to sacrifice her career so that I get the best of both world. She has sacrificed a lot so that I am not deprived of anything in life and has always encouraged me to study so that I become somebody in life. Today, as I look back, I realize how mom loves me. I remember when Dad passed away, I was studying at Mumbai university and she stood rock solid to take the place of Dad to make me realize I'm not alone in this world. There so many mothers like Mom who toil hard and cut their stomach so that their children do not sleep hungry at night. They work double shifts in order to ensure that their sons and daughters get a good education. On this occasion of Mother's Day, my thought goes to the mom of Nirbhaya and so many rape victims, gudiya and the six-year old girl who died. If, there was something called poetic justice! On the occasion of Mother's Day, I pay tribute to Maa who ensured that I am not deprived of anything in life and I pledge not to say anything that will hurt her feeling. Tomorrow, I may relocate to some other country but that does not mean that I do not love mom and leaving her. In life, we need to move on for various reasons, career or things that make us happy but mom will understand coz they know that the happiness of their kids are important. I promise Maa that once I am settled in my life, I will take you with me. Maa, I know..I am trying to cut smoking and you constantly shout at me, telling how dangerous it is for health. I promise that this time I will try harder and yes, you are right. I should cut smoking and eventually put an end to ir. Love you, Maa and you need to chill. With Love Vishal
