Last weekend, Mothers Day was celebrated in many parts of the world, including India. And as I saw the MS logo change from Mouthshut.com to LoveYouMa.com, a thought occurred to me What can I do for my mom on Mother’s day? I was sad, as I had an exam on Monday. Just my bad luck that the exam was scheduled for a day after Mother’s Day.
To top it all, I saw my mom giving a small purse to my maternal grandma as her gift on Mothers Day! I thought I was helpless and I found myself delving deeper into the books to keep myself away from the thoughts of letting this Mother’s Day go without a notice. But then it was not to be, as I did what I did later (more on that in a while).
My mother is an incredible person. She is never demonstrative or expressive about her love but her staunch demeanour tells us that she is always there for us, whenever we need. Just a simple pat on the back after a good score in the exams is how she shows her affection. (Gosh! Exams are still on my mind!) Both I and my brother are very different individuals and she recognizes it and talks to us differently. She has a way of playing around with words that we get to understand the meaning of what she is trying to say in as simple a language as it can be possible. I have a certain kind of bonding that I find hard to express in words. She is the most wonderful friend I have ever had. Like every mother, she knows what I am thinking about and I also get to know easily what’s going on in her mind.
I can just go on and on talking about my mom and I may fill up the entire review and comments talking about her and even then I won’t stop. But then I know that this review will be branded a silly review because I am here to talk about the gifts I that I may choose for my mom. So here goes my list:
Greeting Cards
Soon after my exam on Monday, I did an impulse purchase. I went to an Archie’s Gallery hoping to find a Mother’s Day greeting card even though the event was already over. I was lucky to find a handful of them and though buying the card did hurt my pocket, when she saw the card later in the evening, she was delighted! I almost got the feeling that it was the most beautiful card that she has ever received, and I was happy to be the one who gave it to her. But then I know that more is to come for her and especially on her birthday though it is still a long way away on December 4.
Audio cassettes and CDs
My mom is addicted to music. Actually it doesn’t surprise me because she has worked at the All India Radio for many years. Give her a cassette of an oldie album/collection and she is all perked up eager to listen to it. She listens to all new film music too, though she isn’t too eager when it comes to buying new age music. Maybe that’s got something to do with her taste for music and I understand that. It is thanks to her collections of music over the last 15 years that I have a good knowledge of music, both new and old stuff. On any given day, she is all too eager to buy a new album or compilation of the greats of the bygone eras.
Books
I have actually never seen my mom read any books apart from some Hindi magazines. Maybe it has a lot to do with the kind of juggling act she has to do between work and home. She hardly finds time to do some useful reading. But I know that she likes reading books, and urges me to read literature of Premchand and other greats from the past. Many times I have seen her browse through books on a variety of topics with me whenever I go to a bookstore. She hardly buys any books but doesn’t spare me whenever she finds me rejecting a good book.
Flowers
Flowers are a passion for my mom. I recall an incident from long time ago, at that time we used to live in a house that had a small kitchen garden. She had tendered to different varieties of flowers and one rose bud had just started to blossom into a beautiful flower when the garden had to be dug up for repairs to some water pipelines underneath the soil. To this day she regrets losing the flowers! I know that my mom’s heart is as beautiful as the flowers she cares for.
Cake
Another incident from not too long ago comes to my mind. It was her birthday in 2002 when we all decided to throw a surprise party for her. I went to the market to buy a small cake for her. I scoured bakery after bakery but could not find an egg-less cake at such a short notice. Ultimately, I sat down at a bakery shop and ordered a cake to be specially made for her. As it started to get late, I switched off my mobile phone so that she doesn’t track me. Bu then poor me, someone at home spilled the beans and told her about her surprise birthday cake. That was perhaps the first time we had a cake on her birthday and enjoyed each moment of it.
Watch
My mom has a collection of watches but if she asks me I’d say that there is none that matches her grace and simplicity. Then at times I see her not wearing a watch. But I know that if she has a watch that she really likes, she will wear it all the time. This has to be the most incomparable gift for her that money can buy!
This is just a short list. I want to give my mom a lot more. In fact, the list is endless. I want things to be in such a way that she lives the rest of her life in relative happiness. And if I am able to do that for her, it will be the ultimate gift for her.