Sharing a post I wrote on my Mom for our To Mom With Love show blog. Mother's and Fathers' Days are probably Hallmark created holidays to encourage consumerism, which is why I never celebrate them in the traditional way, i.e. cards, candy, gifts etc. But seems appropriate to take a moment and be thankful for the Mom who's done so much. Happy Mothers' Day everyone!
Amma
My parents have had a huge impact on who I am today. I grew up watching my mom, or Amma as I call her, be not only a caring mom but also an enterprising career woman. Funny thing is, often times when I used to ask her about what she did and how important she was in her organization, she would make jokes about it and talk like it wasn’t much. Needless to say, I learnt a thing or two about humility from her that has stayed with me forever. As busy as she was in her professional role, when she came home, she was a loving mother and wife, fully engaged in those roles. It couldn’t have been easy, especially with me often falling sick with bouts of asthma until I was at least 5 or 6. Often she had to stay up nights with me as I powered through yet another wheezing attack. Yet I can’t remember one instance when she came home and started talking about the stresses of her day. And trust me, she had a high stress career with lots of interesting stories. I mostly found out more about them only when I was a lot more grown up. She has always been cheerful, positive and filled with tons of energy all day every day.
I was part of a large family of nine for several years during my childhood. Two of my dad’s sisters and a grand aunt lived with us. One sister had two daughters and had lost her husband early in life, the second sister was yet to be married. All nine of us lived together in a small two bedroom apartment. My parents were the sole earning members supporting the large family, but I never felt we lacked anything. I owe a lot of that feeling to Amma. She didn’t advise me a lot, but I learnt a lot by example. Despite the fact that we had just enough money for ourselves, she has always had a very large heart. The very fact that she was able to take in my Dad’s extended family and bring up their children as her own made a big impact on me. Loving your own child is easy. Loving another’s child just as your own and giving yourself to them just as much is significantly harder. We were brought up like four siblings. Of course, I wasn’t thinking about these things back then. But as I grew up I realized, that is who Amma is. And I love her dearly for that.
Amma initiated me into dance when I was merely 4, mostly because she loved Bharatanatyam and never had the opportunity to learn when she was young. I didn’t care much for it back then. I cared about my Sunday morning cartoons more than going to dance class. But I didn’t complain much either as dance felt somewhat natural to my body. As the years rolled by, I completed my Arangetram (a full length solo performance given when one completes their foundational training in the art form) but moved on to pursue other interests. Amma talked with me off and on about my natural inclination towards art but I was adamant about pursuing other options for a career. Several years later and I found myself thinking more and more about leading an artistic life. Amazingly, it is the pursuit of this art form that has led me on a wonderful journey of self discovery.
As I have come full circle on my dance journey to an enriching dance filled life today, I have realized that when it came to major life decisions, Amma ultimately never forced me to choose what she wanted. That was not her way. We certainly had our share of disagreements and arguments, but once I explained to her what I was passionate about and where my interests were at the time, she allowed me to explore. Even if she didn’t agree with me completely, she focused her energies on making the best possible opportunities in that direction available to me. In the process, it forced me to think deeply about my choices before I jumped into them. She has always said to me that no matter what I put my heart into, I should be more than a 100% invested in it. “There’s no point in doing anything half-hearted”, she would say. She herself had wanted to lead an artistic life at one point but could not follow her passions due to financial needs. She forayed into the financial / banking world instead of an artistic one, but she made herself incredibly passionate about it and had a great career. That never ceases to amaze me. She never did anything remotely half-hearted, whether it was her career or being a mother or a wife. How she was able to keep it all together is a mystery to me.
Amma’s energy and zest for life are infectious. She has tried her hand at everything from learning German to web development. Her interests span several things from spiritual pursuits to cooking to the stock market. I have learnt many things from her over the years - importance of working hard and being passionate, humility, not being jealous of anyone, making myself helpful to others and never giving up. I certainly make my share of mistakes but hope that I will never give up trying my best to live life by these values. Thanks Amma for everything you have ever taught me, for being my rock, trusting my life decisions, teaching me a thing or two about life and for listening to my silly stories patiently over the years.
My parents have had a huge impact on who I am today. I grew up watching my mom, or Amma as I call her, be not only a caring mom but also an enterprising career woman. Funny thing is, often times when I used to ask her about what she did and how important she was in her organization, she would make jokes about it and talk like it wasn’t much. Needless to say, I learnt a thing or two about humility from her that has stayed with me forever. As busy as she was in her professional role, when she came home, she was a loving mother and wife, fully engaged in those roles. It couldn’t have been easy, especially with me often falling sick with bouts of asthma until I was at least 5 or 6. Often she had to stay up nights with me as I powered through yet another wheezing attack. Yet I can’t remember one instance when she came home and started talking about the stresses of her day. And trust me, she had a high stress career with lots of interesting stories. I mostly found out more about them only when I was a lot more grown up. She has always been cheerful, positive and filled with tons of energy all day every day.
I was part of a large family of nine for several years during my childhood. Two of my dad’s sisters and a grand aunt lived with us. One sister had two daughters and had lost her husband early in life, the second sister was yet to be married. All nine of us lived together in a small two bedroom apartment. My parents were the sole earning members supporting the large family, but I never felt we lacked anything. I owe a lot of that feeling to Amma. She didn’t advise me a lot, but I learnt a lot by example. Despite the fact that we had just enough money for ourselves, she has always had a very large heart. The very fact that she was able to take in my Dad’s extended family and bring up their children as her own made a big impact on me. Loving your own child is easy. Loving another’s child just as your own and giving yourself to them just as much is significantly harder. We were brought up like four siblings. Of course, I wasn’t thinking about these things back then. But as I grew up I realized, that is who Amma is. And I love her dearly for that.
Amma initiated me into dance when I was merely 4, mostly because she loved Bharatanatyam and never had the opportunity to learn when she was young. I didn’t care much for it back then. I cared about my Sunday morning cartoons more than going to dance class. But I didn’t complain much either as dance felt somewhat natural to my body. As the years rolled by, I completed my Arangetram (a full length solo performance given when one completes their foundational training in the art form) but moved on to pursue other interests. Amma talked with me off and on about my natural inclination towards art but I was adamant about pursuing other options for a career. Several years later and I found myself thinking more and more about leading an artistic life. Amazingly, it is the pursuit of this art form that has led me on a wonderful journey of self discovery.
As I have come full circle on my dance journey to an enriching dance filled life today, I have realized that when it came to major life decisions, Amma ultimately never forced me to choose what she wanted. That was not her way. We certainly had our share of disagreements and arguments, but once I explained to her what I was passionate about and where my interests were at the time, she allowed me to explore. Even if she didn’t agree with me completely, she focused her energies on making the best possible opportunities in that direction available to me. In the process, it forced me to think deeply about my choices before I jumped into them. She has always said to me that no matter what I put my heart into, I should be more than a 100% invested in it. “There’s no point in doing anything half-hearted”, she would say. She herself had wanted to lead an artistic life at one point but could not follow her passions due to financial needs. She forayed into the financial / banking world instead of an artistic one, but she made herself incredibly passionate about it and had a great career. That never ceases to amaze me. She never did anything remotely half-hearted, whether it was her career or being a mother or a wife. How she was able to keep it all together is a mystery to me.
Amma’s energy and zest for life are infectious. She has tried her hand at everything from learning German to web development. Her interests span several things from spiritual pursuits to cooking to the stock market. I have learnt many things from her over the years - importance of working hard and being passionate, humility, not being jealous of anyone, making myself helpful to others and never giving up. I certainly make my share of mistakes but hope that I will never give up trying my best to live life by these values. Thanks Amma for everything you have ever taught me, for being my rock, trusting my life decisions, teaching me a thing or two about life and for listening to my silly stories patiently over the years.
