Yet another Mothers day!

 

The drive from Chennai Central to Anna Nagar was a pleasant one even though it was a hot summer afternoon day. Mom and myself were returning back after a short visit to Coimbatore. Surprisingly, the weather was cool and breezy , thanks to the Asani cyclone which brought depression in the Bay of Bengal. I noticed that our Uber driver was quite unique from all his driver mates as he took a long way back to avoid traffic and he never had the urge to compete or overtake his fellow drivers, a characteristic feature shared by most of the drivers in the city! He followed all the traffic rules and seemed to be a man of few words which was also something that the taxi drivers of the city were not. As the taxi waded through the magnificent Chennai City, I found myself enjoying the city's architectural differentiation, the British era's buildings to the most innovative Engineering extravaganza of the multistorey apartments.

Just then the driver turned on the radio which reminded us that the day was one of the most popular day of all merchandising and branding giants, 'Mothers day'. Lets be honest, a single day -'Mothers day' or 'Women's day' is not enough to show them our gratitude, love and affection, it has to be everyday,  year long and something that can be turned into meaningful choices rather than inanimate dedications and showoffs. There were constant  reminders about the day, right from  "Gift your mother a curtain on this Mothers day to Gift your mother a knife on this Mothers day". Practically everything and anything was being sold with the Mothers day tag! Lets lavish our mothers with love but that doesn't mean that we have to splurge the day with empty offerings!

They celebrate the day, in all formats. For instance, this advertisement  "Mothers day Lavender bath bomb workshop" in the radio is a bang on reminder about how businesses thrive on selling themselves in spite of them looking ridiculous. In this particular workshop, the mothers are taught a new skill, on how to make a lavender bath bomb and face scrub. Funny, isn't it?! Wait you are about to hear more funnier things. After the plethora of advertisements, finally we got to hear the main event of the day, dedicating songs about mothers for mothers.  

The radio tuned into obnoxious and loud voices , whilst mom and myself were exchanging looks, but the driver turned the volume a little higher melting along with the sentiments of the callers. His head nodding and finger tapping to the awful renditions showed his strong affinity to mothers and motherhood and the so called dedications, even through the rear view mirror.  As the program continued, I had a compelling desire to change channels but kept listening to the host announcing the name of the person who dedicated the song to his/her mother. Our frustrations turned into bombs of laughter when we heard random people sing beautiful hit songs with their horrific voices and disastrous tones. 

The driver looked at us with great discomfort and disappointment. He could not digest the fact that two women actually laughed out on such heartfelt dedications and feelings. His expression literally read, "I have never seen women who would not appreciate mothers! How upsetting is the world around me?!". Well, as a simpleton who has a sincere regard for his mother and as a person who comprehends Mothers day as the epitome of greatness, our attitude and laughter must have been atrocious and infuriating! He was troubled so much that he drove faster and overtook even a bicycle, after that point and reached the destination ASAP as he could not wait to disengage the two of us whom he thought were so insensitive and cruel to our own kind!  

After reaching home and having a hearty laugh about the ride,  I switched on the TV to find more of Mothers day! Yes, there's no harm in showering some extra love on the Mothers day until the act itself turns out to be an annoying one. I just hope that we give space and time for the women/mothers in our lives to enjoy self care, relax and de-stress when they need it and fill them with appreciation and love!