Today would have been Mom’s 79th birthday. She passed away 6 years ago… within a year of Dad’s passing. I knew she would not make it without him. They were true soul-mates and married for more than 60 years. She was a loving and dedicated wife, a loyal daughter, and mom extraordinaire.
Mom was a child bride in a generation and time when that was the norm in rural India. No value judgement here — just a fact. I rarely ever spoke about, or wrote about my mom. Maybe because I saw her as an extension of my Dad — joined at the hip. I saw her pain when he died, I saw the tears and the deep-rooted sorrow that eventually consumed her.
Mom was a simple lady. While she never had the privilege of having a formal education, she was one of the most intelligent women I knew. Smart, tenacious, and she ran a huge household with total control, raising 5 children and making many sacrifices so we could all blossom.
She was bank central for all of us — always slipping me extra money, as if it was our little secret. She was the soft buffer with Dad when I was in trouble. During my younger trying days, as I sought to find my calling, there were the skeptics who believed I would never amount to much. Not Mom. She believed in me and knew deep down that I would be fine. Maybe her faith and love allowed me to leave home and make a life for myself.
I remember how heart broken she was when I left India for the US. Now as a parent myself, I have a new appreciation for the sacrifices she made so I could pursue my dreams.
I love you Mom. Watch over us all, as you walk the heavens with Dad.
About Hemant Rustogi