EDITORIAL : ONE FOR MOTHER

ONE FOR MOTHER

It is a girl child ... Congratulations!"

These words ended hours of agony (व्यथा/ तीव्र पीड़ा) of waiting outside the labour room when my wife was undergoing (के दौर से गुजरना) an excruciating (कष्टदायी/ पीड़ाप्रद) life-giving experience, and I felt helpless standing outside. Having held back the stress-induced tears (तनाव से प्रेरित आँसू), I finally let them roll down (उन्हें बहने दिया), exhibiting (प्रदर्शन) profound (गहरी) happiness (ख़ुशी) and relief (राहत). I had just been promoted (पदोन्नत) to the rank (पद) of a Dad.

When my wife recuperated (स्वस्थ हो जाना), we got down to serious parenting. There was no dearth (कमी) of experienced mothers across generations to guide us in what to do and what not to do. While I agreed with the traditional ways of bringing up (पालन पोषण करना) a child, my wife believed that parenting was not only an instinct (स्वाभाविक) but also a skill which could be acquired (अर्जित/ प्राप्त) for the balanced personality of a child. She relied more on Dr Benjamin, an American paediatrician (बच्चों का चिकित्सक), than on native (मूल) knowledge (ज्ञान) that had been passed down (आगे बढ़ाया).

As we travelled along the path of parenthood, she would often say that most psychological and developmental problems of a child have their roots in the manner in which they are raised (बढ़ा होना). Having undergone the grueling (भयंकर) nine months and the D-day encounter, she had moral ascendency (प्रभुत्व/ प्रधानता) over rearing (पालन-पोषण) our child. My role was confined (सीमित) to babysitting, nappy washing and being a buffoon (हँसाने वाला/ Clown) to make our little angel laugh. I gracefully (योग्य रूप से) accepted my role and followed the instructions given to me.

For a child, the parents are a role model and he/she has an inherent (जन्मजात) tendency (प्रवत्ति) to please (आनंदित करना) them by emulating (अनुसरण करना) them. A loving and accepting parent will build child's self-esteem (आत्म-सम्मान), resulting in positive relations in life, while a judgemental (न्यायिक) and critical (सख्त) parent will do exactly the opposite. I have had the unfortunate experience of serving under the craziest of bosses and my wife would never let my office tension affect our family life. I learnt from her that how one coped with (अंत तक टिकना/ सामना करना) stressful situations would teach the child more than any lectures on stress management.

It is rather unfortunate that in our society, the mother does not get the recognition (पहचान) due to her outside the four walls of the house. While a father's name is required to be mentioned almost everywhere, there is seldom a space provided for a mother's name. Having taken much more pains in rearing (पालन-पोषण) a child, I feel our system commits (प्रतिबद्ध) a sacrilege (तोडना-मरोड़ना/ violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred) against the creation and the creator by failing to acknowledge (स्वीकारना/ धन्यवाद देना) the mother. God could not be everywhere, they say, so He created mother. While I get visibly perturbed (क्षुब्ध/ व्याकुल) on this issue, my wife often remains at peace and seldom joins in, in any gender equality debate.

And so, when Manushi Chillar asserted (इस बात पर ज़ोर दिया) that a mother deserves the highest respect and her job deserves the highest salary, I believed she truly deserved to be Miss World. 

Happy Learning And Keep Sharing