Celebration of ‘Motherhood’ with the Mothers of Pune
Pune, May 7th, 2016 : The definition of mother has expanded over the years to include not just the biological mother but also a primary care-givers or nurturers in the form of fathers who have stepped in to participate equally in the parenting process, extended families, and other support systems, said author Sudha Menon. Menon brought together a group of mothers and their children, from different walks of life in an event, ‘Growing up with the memories of mother’, on the occasion of Mother’s day at Hyatt Regency.
Renowned Ballroom dancer and choreographer, Sandip Soparrkar and his mother, Rani Soparrkar recalled the memories of the time Sandip, then a 23-year-old young man, became the first single male adoptive parent in India. “Before the baby came home my mom sat me down and explained the responsibilities that came with being a parent. And when I brought him home, she came visiting for a month during which she taught me everything I would need to know about bringing up baby,” Soparrkar told the group of mothers and pre-teens who participated in the event. “She left exactly after a month and while handing Arjun back to me she reminded me that from that day onwards he was exclusively my responsibility. Now her role is to spoil him silly when he goes visiting her during vacations.” Both mother and son underlined the need for society to reach out to orphans and adopt them so that those children could also have a childhood they deserved.
Menon who grew up with 3 siblings in suburban Mumbai said the pressures on new age mothers were much bigger than the time she herself was growing up, largely because more women are now in careers. “As we discover our wings, make your own destiny and set up our own nest, the bond with the mother retreats to the background organically. But no matter how many other relationships we build during our lifetimes, this is the one relationship which remains the most enduring one. There can be no stronger relationship than a mother builds with her child.”
Ekansh Trust founder, Anita Iyer who came along with her daughter said that along with her daughter said her relationship with the teenager is built around transparency and the freedom to both of them to express their feelings and emotions.
Anuja Kale-Agarwal, Global Head of Employee Engagement of a well-known bank said, “My husband and I have always taken an equal responsibility of raising our son. At each stage we had decided that whoever was available and less busy at work would attend to Arjun’s school or other needs. We outsourced without guilt and as a mother this reduced the load on our busy schedule. And both of us managed to pursue and grow our careers.”
