The Channel 46
Socially, the image of the Indian mother has evolved over the years, and how! If you watched any Bollywood movie in the 80s, the Indian mother was the white-saree clad, usually widowed mother, whose blessings brought good luck and whose curses brought about devastation. Such was the power of the great Indian Maa, that her summons and negotiation with God did miracles like bringing back dead sons as identical reincarnations!
Then why is it when Sushmita Sen chooses to adopt children, we question her choice of not marrying first? And more recently, when Priyanka Chopra chooses to have a child through a surrogate, we think it’s inappropriate because she didn’t really carry the baby or give birth – Tauba, did she not want to ruin her figure? And when someone has a child out of wedlock, we call them characterless.
In this day and age, the definition of motherhood has evolved, and I believe we should make space for this change. Take the custom and shape it our way. Motherhood for each woman should be a journey that every woman should be encouraged to embrace in their own time, space and comfort. Through carrying their biological child for nine months and delivering. Through adoption and fostering. Through bringing home four-legged furry individuals instead of a two-footed one. Raising a plant from a seed to fruit. Through surrogacy. Through scientifically assisted methods. And more.
Motherhood is an emotion. Of raising and nurturing. One that deserves to be respected, and celebrated no matter in which shape or form it exists. Let’s focus on celebrating the emotion, not the method.
The Channel 46