No LAWS, Only LOVE!

I am not writing this piece because I have to, or I must or I need to score some brownie points. I don't! The person I am about to talk about and my relation to her is such that no matter how sincere my feelings most of you are bound to doubt it. And read it with a pinch of salt!

But that's where I would beg you to do so differently. You would do me a huge favour if you did not look for intended meanings, tried to read between the lines. Or think that this piece is a mere tool to have an impression solidified. It's none of that.

Today I wish to talk about my mother in law. Mine was an arranged marriage and like the protocol demanded I was to meet the mother before the son. Well! It was supposed to be a meeting where she was coming to see if I would make a good match for her son! And such real incidents are often if not always marred with reel life telecasted tales.

At least to be in all fairness there is always this fear of suddenly being in the company of a woman,(your potential MIL) with a placid face, horrid expressions and who has come prepared to give you tests of fire, where one must prove ones worth so as to deserve the sweetest fruit -her son!!!
Uff the nautanki! I love it. And i would have loved it even more if it were the case with me. The story of my life in that case would have been different.

But to cut the long story short I must confess, I was not given a chance to glare or gloat. This woman who arrived that evening to see me walked in with a million dollar smile. A sort of smile that was assuringly warm. There was no fuss, no drama and most of all no test from her side. She and I talked loudly,And laughed even louder. My mum meanwhile pinched me trying to remind me that I wasn't meeting an old friend nor was I in the middle of my mad parties! I have to add, that for those brief moments I would go quiet, or try and talk soft, but this woman who I was so utterly enjoying would have no such elements as demure and docile ruining the natural tempo of the evening. She would always rescue me and I would then find myself being grateful to her. I liked the fact that she wanted to know the real me! And was not sticking to some age old rule book of how to go bahu hunting! And if you think, I am making up about the book on bahus, then partly you could be right, but mostly it is true. At least I have been told that there has to be one which is reffered quite extensively these days!Anyhow, excuse my digression.

Thanks to this lady I would find my way back to my original pitch and aakaash tod hansee ( laughter that would break the sky) .
Honestly, I forgot why I was there and most importantly why she was there. It was fun from the start till the very end. Basically that evening was nothing that I or anyone could have dreamt of. Our match was made in heaven. :)

Now, I call this woman Ma. Soon it will be a year since I got married. And a little less since I moved to UK. Things have changed in my life faster than any formula one car! I knew they would, but never imagined the extent of it. There are good days, and then there are some lonesome days where I find myself missing my work, my friends and Delhi. There are days when the darkness from the outside finds its way inside my house and my heart. There are days when I feel like running back home.

But then there is also the time when we drive from Sheffield to Darlington to be with ma and papa. And then there is the time when she opens the door and hugs you tight. It's her way of saying,' I have squeezed all sadness out of you now what's left is only happiness.' Being around her means being happy. I really don't think you can come across her and not feel loved.

I love my parents. God knows I love Amma and Pa! A child can never say that enough. I miss them like I have never missed them before. But when I am with ma, I know I am loved with the same intensity, the same heart as Amma and Pa.

My ma ( here I must add papa) spoil me rotten with million gifts for occasions created at the spur of the moment. And that's something they needs to stop doing! I honestly am running out of space.
Ma loves to feed me to the extent that I literally have to run from her sight. She will not let me move a finger except when I am eating! The truth is My ma is not my mother-in-law! Actually I can't bear to use that word for her!

I also know that we live in the era of saas -bahu serials, and a piece like this will lead to all kinds of assumptions and speculations. And it's funny, in the sense that most people would have put their money on the fact that I would be the last person writing something like this. Well! Here I am not only writing it, but meaning every bit of it! Thank you MA for being my mother and most importantyl my friend!

P.S( First and foremost, papa I love you lotssss. :). And secondly, Yash if you think I said yes to you I would say think again;))
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you!

Divya Jha
25th December, 2011.