According to Hinduism, God creates, maintains and destroys the universe but the power with which these functions are performed is called Shakti (universal energy), the Divine Mother. This is one of the origins of mother worship and it supports the idea that the human mother is worthy of reverence and worship just as the Divine Mother or Shakti.
Now if we look towards society, we can observe that a woman is often the powerhouse of a family. From morning to evening, a mother gives her best to maintain every family member’s smiling face. Sometimes she takes less food, sometimes she devotes her precious time for the family and children. Despite their contribution, women are still considered as “weak” in different parts of India.
Sometimes we forget that we have Prime Ministers, corporate leaders, business CEOs, and world leaders who are also women. When a child is born, the initial care and protection are given by the child’s mother. The word “Maa” consists of the Hindi consonant “Ma” and vowel “aa”. This consonant pertains to the heart which evokes the emotions of love, joy and happiness while the vowel relates to ‘Aanand Shakti’ or the power of bliss.
A mother goes through many sleepless nights to nourish her child. Sometimes she gets support from her family members, sometimes not. But still, she doesn’t give up! In Hinduism, it is said that one owes one’s parents for seven lifetimes, and one can never repay the debt.
The 2nd Sunday of May every year is celebrated as Mother’s day around the globe. The famous British poet and novelist said that “God can’t be everywhere and therefore he created mothers.” If we look deep into society, we can witness the reflection of each and every word. In Hinduism there is a saying “Maatri Devo Bhavah” and while going through the Ramayana Shri Ram as a child, as a young adult, a married householder and even a king, gives credence to the saying that Mother is the first Guru.
So, ‘ Being Social’ एक नई शुरुआत (A New Begining) decided to celebrate this auspicious day with ‘ammas’ at an Old age home at Patna. It was truly a mesmerising and fun-filled day. The celebrations started with a yoga session by volunteers Sharmishtha and Poonam. Then different games for senior citizens and volunteers were organised by volunteers. The celebration proceeded with a number of performances for senior citizens which was so overwhelming to watch.
We had musical games for senior citizens and some fun games for volunteers like balancing a coin and searching for coins. Later on, after cutting the cake, lunch was served by our volunteers Shiv, Komal, Priyansha, Sachit for our dear ‘ammas’. When we were leaving the venue, one of the elderly women told us to come back soon and gave us her blessings. It was a well coordinated and lovely event made successful by the contribution of our dedicated volunteers especially the coordinators Usha, Prashant and Gaurav.
We should celebrate 365 days a year as Mother’s day. Let’s create a better society by empowering them. A little happiness is priceless for a mother who has dedicated her life to her child. They are the pillars of society, still, society sometimes thinks of them as weak, locks them behind doors, demands dowry, and kills the girl child before they come to this beautiful earth.