“Why are you behaving like your mother”??? says an angry Ria and goes to her room slamming the door behind her.
Looking at herself in the mirror, anjali(ria’s mom)’s mind gets occupied by many memories and thoughts, especially the ones with her mom. Many incidents came to her mind as if they happened yesterday.
About 30 years ago….
During her school days, once a picnic was organised by the school management and Anjali wanted to go.
Anjali: Mom, my school is organising a picnic on coming sunday. I want to go. Can I go??
Anjali’s Mom: no.
Anjali(helpless): Please, mom. All my friends are going. Please.
Anjali’s mom(angry): if all your friends will eat grass, will you eat?? Nothing doing. You are not going.
Next day she went to school and told her friends that she was not coming to the picnic. Then,her best friends Shweta and Geetha came home with her and requested Anjali’s mom.
Shweta: aunty, don’t worry, she will be fine. Entire class is going; allow her aunty, please.
Anjali was almost nearing her first heart attack and she was carefully observing her mom.
Finally, mom agreed.anjali went to picnic and after returning almost for one complete week anjali faced a series of sarcastic events.
Anjali: mom, where are my white shoes?? I can’t find them.
Anjali’s mom: bring swetha and geetha. They will find them for you. My words are not important to you anyway.
Fed up by many such events, Anjali decided that she will never go on a picnic.
As a kid, she never understood why her mom was behaving in such a way. As a matter of fact, she doesn’t even now.
When anjali was in engineering and once this topic came up…
Anjali: mom, why were you not happy sending me on a school picnic??
Anjali’s mom: you were a small kid. I was very worried that something might happen to you.
Anjali: what if I ask now??
Anjali’s mom: depends.
After a few days, anjali’s friend group planned a trekking trip and Anjali actually was not sure about her trip.
Anjali: Mom, my friends have planned a trekking trip. Can I go??
Anjali’s mom: No.
Anjali: Mom, I am not a kid. I am an engineering student. I am 21 years old. We will leave early morning and reach home by 11 max. Please mom, I will go.
Anjali’s mom: ok. Anyway, My opinion doesn’t matter. You are talking as if I have taken away all your happiness. Go, wherever you want to go.
Anjali actually was not quite happy not that her mother was angry but because somewhere she was not able to believe that she was going on a trip.
Next day, at dinner, she saw that her mom was not eating.
Anjali: Mom, why are you not eating??
Anjali’s Mom: Dear, I am 55 years old. I am not a kid. I am a housewife who wakes up at 6 am in the morning so that you and your dad get your breakfast and lunch boxes on time along with keeping aside the clothes that you wear to college. Please dear, I don’t want to eat.
Anjali was looking at her mom and was silently scolding her in her mind.
This was the scene for 3 days in a row. Anjali felt so guilty that finally, on the fourth day…
Anjali: mom, please eat. I am not going on that trip. Don’t worry.
Anjali’s mom (concealing happy look on face): no need to stop because of me. You can go ahead with your plans. I dont want to be a hindrance to anyone in this home.
Anjali: mom, please stop this. You got what you wanted. Please eat something.
When anjali got a baby girl, she thought she would never behave with her like her mother did to anjali.
But today’s incident and the words of ria came as a reality check. She was thinking about what happened today.
Ria: Mom, my best friend, Tanya is coming today and we are doing our project. If it gets delayed, she will be staying here for today and she will leave tomorrow.
Anjali: no, ria. I told you dont be friends with tanya. She is very arrogant; no respect for elders, no like towards studies. I am telling you she is a bad influence on you.
Ria: oh, mom. Stop this yaar. Every time I say anything about any friend of mine, you are not happy about it.
You think you are giving me freedom that your mother did not give you, but let me tell you, that is not true. I have to ask you everything just the way you were asking grand ma. No difference at all.
Saying this ria storms into her room.
This gives anjali a wave of shock and anjali starts thinking…
Anjali: Am I behaving like my mom?? Am I making ria live according to my terms and not her own??
She felt how bad her mother would have felt when she spoke rudely to her mom not recognizing the good intention of her mother.