Life/Reality/Mother’s Week

Mother’s Day Out

Story of a Mother’s Soul

“But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begin.”― Mitch Albom, For One More Day

S he begins her walk. she walks. And walks. And she walks.

Before she starts walking ,in early hours of morning, when it’s stil dark, her thatched-roof mud hut is broom-ed and swept. Her mud oven, cleaned the night before and ready with wooden logs, is lit. The iron Kadai* on it boils some millet, the family staple.

With a pot over her head and one by her side, she walks.

In her walks, her companion is the passing breeze, gently touching her face, as the dusky eastern horizon mutates into its mundane hues. The everyday solar routine.

But she walks.

She walks when the sun scorches, the heat fills her up, her tanned face glistening with perspiration.She takes the edge of her pallu* and wipes her face, her hands and she keeps walking.

She walks and she walks.Tired legs, empty belly. She walks.

In the near distance, now, she spots the tanker.Waiting in the long queue of veiled faces she cools her heels. Finally the pots are filled. Quickly.

And she commences her walk.Back. She walks. She walks. And she walks.

She walks as the western sky change colours and the birds get busy returning home. The chirpy, fluttery passerines cover the ether.

She has to return home too.Fast. Before it’s dark. So, she walks. And walks. And she walks.

The day retires.The slowly chilling whiff wraps her as she sees a light at a distance.

She speeds up to reach near. She smiles as she walks now….. She can see her children waiting at the door step for their mother to arrive. With Water.

She is Meena Behen. She lives in Rajasthan. She is a mother.

— May, 2020

*Pallu-Head Veil ** Kadai- Cauldron

Things to Ponder: “Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.”― Robert A. Heinlein, Have Space Suit — Will Travel

Rajasthan is a desert state. It has been an enormous struggle for women to procure water for their basic usage for many years now. Though situations have improved over time and with successive govt. making this a women’s issue, has benefited some, but there are still some parts of the state where women walk miles to access water for their household. Often leaving their new born/child at home for the whole day. Marije Broekhuijsen a sanitation and hygiene specialist at UNICEF, told Reuters about the situation in Rajasthan,”If you count the time when she (a woman) has to wait at the water source, the multiple trips that she has to take, she can spend up to six hours a day just to collect water for her house”. Today’s post is an attempt to paint an imaginary painting of one such plight.

Writing may not be easy yet how easy it is to write. Wishing all mothers in womb and soul on Mother’s Day week…. — Nefelibata.in

Lo Everlasting makes a strong case of motherhood in her article May-is-not-my-month-or-is-it

Carolyn Hastings with her beautiful dedication to mothers in In-her-arms

Wry Welwood gets candid on Mother’s day week with Mothers-daze-flowers

Thank you from Soul Bay. Your presence, encouragement and inspiration is always the way forward.

Today is Rabindranath Tagore’s 162st Birth Anniversary. So thought of sharing a medley of his songs which were distinctly influenced by Scottish music, during his stay there. Enjoy :)