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My mum said, "Darling, that message was for you too. Shine so bright that everyone has to take cover. Keep shining in whatever you choose to do."
My mum said, “Darling, that message was for you too. Shine so bright that everyone has to take cover. Keep shining in whatever you choose to do.”
My mother served Leena aunty some snacks and tea. Leena aunty stayed in the same society, a few buildings away. She had dropped in at home for a quick chat but stayed for tea and snacks. Usually my mother loved having friends home, but she absolutely hated people wasting time on gossip and judging others for no reason.
“Did you know Meena, Mrs Verma’s daughter, is an Instagram model! I mean what sort of photos does she put on the portal? Someone should say something! And I tried to talk to Mrs. Verma but she very rudely said mind your own business! I mean look at gall of that lady! Actually, I said it out of concern!” said Leena aunty looking scandalised.
I looked at aunty with disdain as I knew Cherry Verma and she was a good person. She had good sense of fashion. So if she used her knowledge of fashion to earn a livelihood, who are we to judge?
“Do you know Leena, my daughter is a good photographer? See that black and white photograph of me? That was taken by Risha when she was only seventeen! It’s my most prized possession!” said my mother as I beamed with happiness and pride.
But Leena aunty looked unperturbed as she said, “Look Meena, ask Risha to choose something practical. This photography and all, she can’t pursue after marriage. Her in-laws might not like her going to weird places to click photos.”
I was about retort rudely when my mom said sweetly, “You are so right Leena. By the way did you know Risha recently won an award for a photograph called the barking dog?”
My mother pulled out a photograph that was most definitely not clicked by me and showed it confidently to Leena aunty. She said, “Tell me Leena, what you see?”
Aunty looked unsure “Is the dog barking at the sun?”
“Correct! The sun is so busy shining bright that he has not time to hear a barking dog. In fact, sometimes the sun shines so bright, the dog has to take cover in his kennel and come out only at dusk! Nice no!” said mom happily. I was trying so hard not to laugh. Leena aunty got up pointedly and said, “I have to leave. It’s late.”
As soon as she left I asked mom why did she show that ridiculous photo from some jokes magazine to aunty.
Mom said, “Darling, that message was for you. Shine so bright that everyone has to take cover. Keep shining in whatever you choose to do.”
That day I beamed with pride at my mom. I was proud to have her as my mother. And I remembered a time when my mother thought I chose a “floozy” career. However, when she saw I was serious she gifted me my first DSLR camera.
She kept pushing me to take better photos, better lighting, better angles. Mom became my confidante, my friend, my guide. She did not forget to be my mother too, and continued scolding me for unfolded clothes and forced me to eat bitter gourd and carrots! Like someone said our mothers always remain the strangest craziest people we’ve ever met.
Picture credits: Still from DiceMedia’s series What The Folks
Born and brought up in Mumbai. A feminist and a voracious reader. read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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