Ode to the creator….

I was sent this pair of pictures by my friend, Dr Rajesh Nawalkar, a famous Orthopaedic Surgeon from Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai. He is a brilliant and extremely prolific water colourist. He draws wonderful topical paintings everyday (the only friend I know whose creative output is numerically greater than mine). The elegant pictures were truly extremely brilliant in their depiction of the day. Although in reality a mother should not be remembered and celebrated on a single day, it does serve a purpose in focussing attention on the most important person in our lives, the only person we can truly call our creator. Since none of us has seen God, we are free to be atheists or subscribe to any religious beliefs, but divinity has visited us in our lives, notwithstanding the fact we may not be aware of the divinity in our lives and may not appreciate it as much as we should.

©Dr Rajesh Nawalkar

©Dr Rajesh Nawalkar

Bollywood has given us every type of mother possible – from the scheming, cunning motherly figure (actually aunt) as played by Lalita Pawar in  ‘Mr. And Mrs. 55’ to the all-forgiving, all-sacrificing, but suffering mother who goes through a lifetime of suffering with equanimity and dignity but also turns upon her child when he goes astray and takes to crime (& actually shoots him dead) : Nargis in ‘Mother India’ to the mom who always lost her kids in every movie possible (Nirupa Roy) and the rather timid and powerless mom: Farida Jalal in ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’. Think of Lalita Pawar in Anari, an apparently crusty tough-as-nails landlady who actually loves Raj Kapoor as a son and sadly dies at his hands (trusting him, she consumes the counterfeit medicine given by him despite having misgivings). Bollywood has also given us some beautiful, unforgettable melodies on mothers that bring tears to our eyes.

On this Mother’s Day I dedicate a Bollywood song on mothers to all the mothers on earth, truly representatives of Divinity on earth (irrespective of species). This is from a movie coproduced by Vinay Pathak, who also plays the lead role. I love him for his acting skills.

In true Chaplinesque fashion, ‘Dasvidaniya’ tells the story of a 37-year old single man who  finds out he has only 3 months to live. (We will not discuss if any Doctor can or should make such a definitive prediction) With a bucket list of 10 things he has always wanted to do before he dies, he sets out on a beautiful final journey of life. One of the 10 things on his list is this song, which is in equal parts hopeful and sad. Made on a shoestring budget, it was sensitively directed by Shashant Shah and has music by Kailash Kher, who was a revelation as a lyricist, who has this distinctly different singing voice. https://youtu.be/MkBOcNqyb7E

A lovely, if in some ways different movie that’s worth a watch. Do it, if you haven’t seen it. Encourage good movie making in India. The music is different but the lyrics will surely touch a chord in many a heart. https://youtu.be/5OqlxrdsCMw

Here’s expressing my love and undying gratitude to my ageing mother, my wife (she is a mother too!) and all you amazing mothers of the world. The planet would’ve been much better if men would listen to women a lot more.

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