My Mother

My Mother - A short Memoir 

On the day of remembrance I stood over my mother's grave, in Landour Christian cemetery, little white roses and marigold were blossoming all over it. It reminded me of the beautiful picture of mine sitting on my mother's lap, hanging in my study, in our garden surrounded with white roses and marigold in the backdrop of Lal Tibba mountain range. My mother loved gardening and she always planted a lot of marigold, it was her favourite flower. Often she told me in my childhood that Sun shine so bright because it has billions of marigold flower on it. She loved these flowers so much that she requested me to plant them over her grave after she is gone. I have fond memories of her, dressing me up for school, cooking delicious pancakes with apricot jam for me, and most of all her stories. Never a night passed by when I would have gone to sleep without her story. 

I grew up in Landour in an Anglo-Indian family. My mother was white like milk, she was born in Cardiff and moved to Mussoorie with her parents when she was 2 years old. My grand father was half english and half Indian. I  must have got my genes more from my father as I did not look like my mother except my blue eyes, which made me a different Indian boy at School. My sister looks more like her instead. 

In my childhood I was the nervous type, specially before the exams, anyone could see it on my face. Once during my high school exams I was very very nervous before the Hindi language paper. After I had me dinner I sat next to the window and started reciting the Hindi poems. I was not really fond of Hindi, My homework always came back with lot of red marks, indicating all the mistakes I made. I  really wanted to get rid of it as a subject as soon as possible. My mother was lying on the bed next to my sister, who was already asleep by now, lucky her no exams for her she was just 4 yrs old, reading her favourite magazine- readers digest. When she saw me nervously reciting poems, she came close to me and whispered in my ears, "Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown and question papers are not set", I looked at her as what she just said made no sense to me. I was puzzled and I asked her, " Mummy what do you mean ? What are you trying to tell me ?". 

She stood there for a moment and said, "let me tell you a interesting event from my youth to explain". I was always up for it for few minutes I forgot about my Hindi exam. I was excited to listen about my mother's youth. She started " when I was in high school just like you, I was studying in Wood stock school. We didn't have to learn Hindi then as it was not compulsory for any one in India. It was English, which everyone had to learn in Schools. I was the best, I read a lot of english book and I was fond of story book too and read almost a book a day. I also learnt it at home from my parents who always spoke Queen's English. None of us in School ever thought of or paid attention to learning Hindi at School at that time. Then, at the stoke of mid-night hour, India gained independence. All of us at School boys and Girls were caught by surprise as Hindi was announced as the National language. I hadn't learnt a thing about it in School. I was scared how will I teach myself Hindi. But you know how are learnt it ? " This was strange for me to hear as my mother spoke Hindi like every one else in Landour.  I always thought she grew up here so she must have learnt it in School just like I am learning. I said, " off course I want to know". She said, " It was not easy but I learnt it by listening to radio and watching Hindi films at the local Cinema in Dehradun".  I could not believe it, I said " no exams no syllabus nothing and your Hindi is so good, are you serious?" She said, "Sometimes necessity makes your learn things on your own.  You don't need a book for it. Life teaches you lessons everyday you just have to be careful to notice and learn from it." 

I learnt one thing from my mother that night no matter how hard you prepare life always catches you with surprises sometimes good and sometimes not so good. I should not be worried about the exams and be nervous. The real exam goes on everyday and there is no preparation for it.  You learn and unlearn things everyday and life goes on.