On the 17th of February, my mother went to stay at my sister’s house. She and I would talk regularly like always. My wife and daughter at that time, were in Delhi . Since my late night editing was going on, I had slept in my office itself . On the morning of 20th, my sister informed me that mom is no more. I was numb. My world toppled. My support system was no more. This cruel twist of fate shook me up completely.

When I saw her still body at home, I just could not reconcile to the fact that she will not be around any more for me. In fact, three months later today, as I pen down these thoughts, even now I feel her presence around me.

I shared a beautiful bond with my mother. She would eagerly wait for my calls. In fact, we would connect two to three times a day no matter how busy my schedule was. She would want to know every small detail of how my day was going, what I was doing.

Our family was a total movie buff family. In the 70’s and 80’s I recall, my mother and I would go to all the Hindi movies. I have the fondest memories of watching the movies with my mother at Bandra Talkies, New Talkies, Gaiety and Galaxy. Later we would love discussing the scenes and the songs from the films.

When in my teens, due to circumstances I had to give up my studies and take up the job of a video cassette delivery boy. My mother had seen my struggling days. I’m actually very glad that she had seen my success too.

After the failure of my debut film Trishakti ,when I took my parents for the screening of Chandni Bar, my mother was shocked to see the movie. In fact, she was amazed that a boy like me who was so lighthearted and always humorous by nature had made this realistic hard-hitting movie. My parents enjoyed the movie , the accolades and its success, and were very happy for me.

I still remember vividly the day I took her to Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi for my first National Award for Chandni Bar. She was choked with emotions and for me that is a moment I will treasure throughout my lifetime.

I write this today as a tribute to not only my mother, but for all the women who devote their lives for their children. I salute the emotion of “Motherhood” and would like to dedicate my this post to each and every mother on this Mother’s day.

[socialWarfare]