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 Responses to Eternal inspiration - Vasumathi Badrinathan, Mumbai e-mail: vasu@vasumathi.net July 2009 * Thank you for sharing this; it is both revealing and touching. I am unbelievably blessed to still have the joy, support and care of my 92 year old mother as I approach my 60th birthday. It is always good to celebrate our great mothers. Best, Sharon Lowen, New Delhi * Dear Vasumathi, I read your article and needed time to be by myself, go down memory lane and relish those times. There are some pleasant people who come to your mind's eye on several occasions - definitely one such person is your mother! I am really proud of your accomplishments and I am sure SHE must be smiling up there. Well done! Warm Wishes Rema Ashok, UK * Dear Dr. Vasumathi, This is an excellent repository! Regards, Prof. PR Ramanujam, New Delhi * That was a most touching article on Mothers and Daughters. Truly evocative. Thanks for sharing it! Malini Shankar, Mumbai * Dear Vasumathi, I knew that you are a good singer and a dancer, but I never knew that you could express yourself equally well in words too. Best wishes, Manjari Sinha, New Delhi * The article is excellent and beautifully brings out the emotional outpourings of Vasumathi Badrinath, poignantly describing the admirable qualities of her mother. The description is tears inviting and reminded me about my respected mother, who left for her heavenly abode recently. Every mother is a unique creation of God Almighty and her departure for the heaven leaves an unfillable vacuum. The style is very good and the article leaves a lasting impression in the mind of the reader. Best wishes, N R Sampath, Chennai * Hello Vasumathi, I am so glad to have read your inspiring article. Mother is a special and unique person to each one of us, and you have eloquently put this universal yet "tough-to-express" feeling in well chosen words. Regards Anu Narayanan, Mumbai * Great article... Words from the heart... Had tears welling up in my eyes... Thanks for helping me reach out to the divinity in my soul, if at least for a moment :) Venkataraghavan, Chennai * Dear Vasumathi, I had tears when I read this... I lost my mom this Feb and am still trying to come to terms with this harsh reality. Though your mom is not there to see you when you are at the peak of your chosen fields of dance and music, she is definitely blessing you from the heaven above. God bless you. Good luck. Revathy Subramaniam, Mumbai * I was touched and moved by your wonderful article. I was under the impression that for the act of bringing into this world (for all her troubles) one cannot repay that debt, in whatever action you can do to her, but you have vividly told it in a subtle way. Thanks for sharing this with the worldwide readers and awakening their hearts to their mothers. I wish you good luck and long life to contribute many more articles and share your art with the world. Dr. Raghu, USA * Dear Vasumathi, I read your article 'Eternal inspiration' and was very touched by it. I lost my mother-in-law recently and you could be describing her in your article. Your mother and my mother-in-law were one of a kind and I am not sure we will see people like them again. Lakshmi Ramani, Chennai * This was really a very moving article - these days when I am faced with my father struggling to overcome his terminal ailment, your words find a chord in me - it is indeed very difficult to find the words to express these innermost feelings but you have managed to give a glimmer and for that I congratulate you. Warm regards Bharti Sinha, New Delhi * Dear author Your article has certainly reminded me of "what I had conveniently forgotten or pretended to have forgotten." What a shame! I realise that it's time to act rather than thinking about it. "Better late than never." People tend to realise the importance of someone in their life, "only when they are no more." Very unfortunate. We cover ourselves under the excuses of competition, busy, hectic, social compulsions, no time to think... This article set me thinking on "how can I ever repay what I had gained / borrowed / looted / robbed / earned / enjoyed / salvaged / services to my parents? Like me there could be many more "forgotten" lots and to their timely recovery and to realise the value of (which is taken for 'granted') "parents," wish this article gets circulated / nominated to benefit everyone. Wish you good luck. Regards, A G Mohan Sundr, Texas * I read and re-read your story a couple more times. You touched an inner nerve! I am sure this would be true with most of the readers of your story. Your choice of references and expressions were so uncannily similar to what I would have liked to say or write about my own mother. Your empathy and ability to articulate the finer feelings are impressive. You have brought out the wonderful truth that mothers universally are god's gift to humanity and children, regardless of generation or family backgrounds, have such a close and lifelong attachment to them. A successful writer crafts the words so expertly that an average reader is able to identify not only with the writing but also feels as if the feelings written are his/her own. The nearest parallel I could think of is that of popular playback singers of movies. The successful singer does spend enormous efforts in the delivery of every word and line of the lyric, yet, makes the final rendition so smooth and effortless that the average listener, after hearing the song, feels confident he/she could replicate the singer. (Many ambitious ones do try in the shower!) I really enjoyed the sincerity, style and technique of your story telling. You have crafted a story that is so personal in content, yet so touching and universal in the feelings it brings out in your readers. I have already started the long postponed letter to my mother! Regards, Sri Ratnam, USA * I found this article extremely poignant and overwhelming. This is the greatest tribute you can ever pay your mother. I am planning on sending this article to my mum, since I am not sure I can express as well as you can. Thanks and once again look forward to more of them... Vasu Harish, Australia * Dear Vasumathi, It is amazing when one sits back and reflects on their past, how most often, one finds that the person whom one loves is invariably taken for granted. Be it either in the loved one's attitude, reaction or just simple physical presence, and how utterly damaging such “taken for granted” attitude can be. A life time's learning still does not arm the people against committing this basic but unintentional common fallacy. More often than not, one finds eulogies of a dear one who has departed and again more often than not, the eulogies originate from a sincerely heartfelt sense of loss and pain of separation. Yet transcending all cultural and social borders, human emotions and mistakes remain similar. Wonder when the light of awareness shall flare bright? Perhaps it needs eulogies such as the one written by you in your mother's memory to help people like me remind ourselves that life is truly ephemeral and we need to express ourselves to our loved ones before it is too late. I fully empathise with your feelings as I also have lost my father who passed away last year at a relatively young age of 55, but the only solace that I have is that I have been lucky enough to express my love for him time and again during his life time. Needless to say, both my parents remain an eternal inspiration for me too. Regards Pramodh Lakshminarayan, Bangalore * This article makes me wanna cry. It is very beautiful and touching. It makes me realize the worth of my wonderful parents whom I have with me. It is funny how we get caught up in the web of everyday living and how our consciousness drifts away from the god given gifts called parents whom we need to be eternally grateful for. Another sad fact is that to realize our own potential in life, we need to struggle so much and one of the compromises that we usually make is to sacrifice the time we get to spend with family. This is indeed ironic, because we are in fact working to make our family proud! TRV, Chennai |
