MAGIC OF ‘MA’
I became very sad after
watching a programme on TV chanel on female foeticide in Rajasthan, Bihar,
Haryana and many other places. Statistics were given showing which state have
the highest rate of female foeticide. I was not interested in the statistics,
crust of the programme made me pensive.
It is India where female are
regarded as Goddess. All types of blessing which people want; bestowed upon by
Goddess only. Wealth: Goddess Laxmi, learning: Goddess Saraswati and most
important valor is given by Ma Durga. These forms are worshipped from ages,
then why in this country female child are killed even before they are born?
What went wrong? From where then Shakti (Valour) will come? Who will look after
home and let males to prosper? Who will bless males with learning?
In ancient ages women were
given proper respect, so we had learned women like Gargi, Maitreyi, Lilavati and so on . What has gone wrong? Why then people do not
want to have girls in their home? Swami Vivekananda the great prophet said “
all nations have attained greatness by paying proper respect to women,
That country, that nation do not respect
woman never become great, nor will ever be in future. Yes the ‘respect’ is the
word that seems to be fading fast into
oblivion. There was a time when older
people met young girls and used to address them in this way: ‘How are you,
little mother’?
Years have passed since then.
I grew up, went to school, and in the process learnt about the annoyances girls
have to put up with while travelling. I became so conscious of my existence I
wanted to keep myself at a safe distance from people around me, and it had
almost become a reflex action with me. Through for this attitude I have sometimes hurt innocent
people, but I did not want to risk my honor at any cost.
One day, however, it so
happened that I was travelling by local bus, an elderly man was making his way
through the crowded bus, while I was standing near the exit. As I was preparing
to make myself as safe as I could, I suddenly heard a voice: Can you move a
bit, ma?’ I was so shocked; it was the first time in my life that I felt no
need to use any defense mechanisms. This is the magic that the word ‘Ma’
carries. I choked, ashamed of myself; I stood motionless as if I had become a
serpent quieted by the flute of a snake charmer. After that day I wished
someone else would call me by that
name. Fortunately a lady in my neighborhood still calls me by that name.
That event made me realize for
the first time the importance of the word ‘Ma’, its strength, the respect and
affection hidden in the word. But nowadays they are hardly ever heard anywhere,
it seems rather it is a trend to call
girls ‘hot’, ‘sexy’, ‘chic’, and even
worse, the girls seem to enjoy it. Well, I do not blame them, because most of
these children have never heard such an honorable and respectful way of addressing
them as the one shown by that man in the bus; and even if they hear something
similar today, they think it outdated.
The word ‘ma’ is so beautiful;
it is associated with so much purity, sacrifice, love, affection and
one-pointed devotion towards the child. It is a word that can light the hearts
of both the caller and the called. Sri Ramakrishna worshipped
Goddess Kali as mother and he merged in a relationship of mother and child
throughout his life. The word ‘ma’ used to bring out the Divine Mother in him.
Such is the power of that word. If it can bring divine joy to Sri Ramakrishna,
can this word not bring purity in this mundane world of ours, can it not put an end to all the evils done against
women, the main cause of which is disrespect towards them?
Addressing a woman as ‘ma’ is,
to me, the most beautiful way of calling a woman. When I hear this, I feel my
soul elevating to a higher level; it is giving me the power to
defend the honor and purity associated with it, at any cost ? Addressing a
woman as ‘ma’ is, to me, the most beautiful way of calling a woman. The word ‘ma’ seems to be a gift carrying the
power of all the sacrifices done, all the love showered upon, all the
dedication offered to children by all the mothers of the world. ‘Ma’, the word
is more respectable than the word ‘respect’ itself.
Western ideal of womanhood is
the wife, while the Eastern ideal is the mother. This is one of the privileges that we have inherited by
being born in the holy land of India, a privilege that anyone in the world can also
enjoy by adhering to this powerful word ‘ma’, which can fill our planet with
light and warmth.
I wonder what would happen if
every man was capable of seeing women, beyond his wife, sister, and mother, as
his own mother, as Swami Vivekananda had
suggested long ago? At least half the evils of the world would simply vanish. And,
why only men? Women also have to remember their greatest identity, an identity
that nothing in the world should take away, an identity bestowed upon them by
nature, which comes at birth and goes only at death, if it goes at all. If a
man is not married, he may never become a father, but a woman can never part
with her motherly nature. Such an indivisible quality is this motherhood. It
may be temporarily clouded by emotions, but it can never be completely erased
from her character. It is such a powerful gift of nature that even animals
cannot keep it at bay, what to say of humans?
Teach the world the name ‘Ma’.
You have descended upon earth in the form of Ma. Let us realize the magic of
this word, which will surely
come to our rescue. Start from our home and from
now.
[ALPANA GHOSH]
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