My father Sri N R Viswanathan and mother Smt. Lakshmi Ammal
அன்னையர் தினம்!
பிரிந்து சென்று ஆண்டுகள்
இருபத்து மூன்று பறந்தன..
இருப்பினும் ஒவ்வொரு நாளும்
அருகிருந்து என்னைக் காக்கும்
அன்பு அன்னையே! அருமைத் தெய்வமே!
பண்பைப் போதித்து நீ வளர்த்தாய்!
பஞ்சைப் போலப் பிடித்துக் கொண்டேன்!
அஞ்சாநெஞ்சம் நீ கொடுத்த கொடை!
வஞ்சம் அற்ற வாழ்வு நீ தந்த வாழ்வு!
தஞ்சம் புகுந்தேன் உன் தாளடியில்!
காத்திடுவாய் என் காவல் தெய்வம் தாயே!
அன்பையும் அறனையும் ஊட்டி வளர்த்த அன்னையே!
பண்பு வழியை வாழும் வரை
காலம் காலம் கடைப்பிடிப்பேன் அம்மா!
முனைவர் என் வி சுப்பராமன்
(Fathers death in 1987 and mother’s 1997 both at Thanjavur)
MOTHER IS GOD!
India –sacred land worships one’s mother as
FIRST GOD! They say MATHA, PITHA, GURU, DHEYVAM-First in the priority for respect and reverence, love and affection is MOTHER followed by FATHER, third GURU (Teacher) and FINALLY DHEIVAM that is GOD! Probably because of this we call our country as MOTHER INDIA!
Today being MOTHERS’ DAY, it is apt to have this week’s Sunday Story on MOTHERS DAY – 1975th post on the 1931st day of the Blog!
Mother’s Day is a day for many people to show their appreciation towards mothers and mother figures worldwide.Events and observations associated with this day is to show our respect and love for mother by presenting some gifts- what she likes most.
आपदामापन्तीनां हितोऽप्यायाति हेतुताम् ।
मातृजङ्घा हि वत्सस्य स्तम्भीभवति बन्धने ॥
Transliteration:
āpadāmāpantīnāṃ hito’pyāyāti hetutām ।
mātṛjaṅghā hi vatsasya stambhībhavati bandhane ॥
Hindi Translation:
जब विपत्तियां आने को होती हैं, तो हितकारी भी उनमें कारण बन जाता है ।
बछड़े को बांधने मे माँ की जांघ ही खम्भे का काम करती है ।
English Translation:
When calamities befall, even a well wisher becomes a cause of them.
It is the leg of the mother that serves as the pillar for tying the calf.
Source – Hitopadesha 1.30
Normally, It is an annual event but is held at different dates in the calendar, depending on the country.
Here is the history of the day as per American mode of recognition of the day
Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as more importantly, motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Father’s Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents Day.
The modern Mother’s Day began in the United States, at the initiative of Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century. This is not (directly) related to the many traditional celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have existed throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to Cybele, Rhea the Great Mother of the Gods, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration (originally a commemoration of Mother Church, not motherhood). However, in some countries, Mother’s Day is still synonymous with these older traditions.
The U.S.-derived modern version of Mother’s Day has been criticized for having become too commercialized. Founder Jarvis herself regretted this commercialism and expressed views on how that was never her intention.
History
The modern holiday of Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. St Andrew’s Methodist Church now holds the International Mother’s Day Shrine. Her campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War, and created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers because she believed a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world”.
In 1908, the U.S. Congress rejected a proposal to make Mother’s Day an official holiday, joking that they would also have to proclaim a “Mother-in-law’s Day”. However, owing to the efforts of Anna Jarvis, by 1911 all U.S. states observed the holiday, with some of them officially recognizing Mother’s Day as a local holiday (the first being West Virginia, Jarvis’ home state, in 1910). In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.
Although Jarvis was successful in founding Mother’s Day, she became resentful of the commercialization of the holiday. By the early 1920s, Hallmark Cards and other companies had started selling Mother’s Day cards. Jarvis believed that the companies had misinterpreted and exploited the idea of Mother’s Day, and that the emphasis of the holiday was on sentiment, not profit. As a result, she organized boycotts of Mother’s Day, and threatened to issue lawsuits against the companies involved. Jarvis argued that people should appreciate and honor their mothers through handwritten letters expressing their love and gratitude, instead of buying gifts and pre-made cards. Jarvis protested at a candy makers’ convention in Philadelphia in 1923, and at a meeting of American War Mothers in 1925. By this time, carnations had become associated with Mother’s Day, and the selling of carnations by the American War Mothers to raise money angered Jarvis, who was arrested for disturbing the peace.
In 1912 Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrase “Second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis, Founder”, and created the Mother’s Day International Association. She specifically noted that “Mother’s” should “be a singular possessive, for each family to honor its own mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world.” This is also the spelling used by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in his 1914 presidential proclamation, by the U.S. Congress in relevant bills, and by various U.S. presidents in their proclamations concerning Mother’s Day.
Dates around the world
While the United States holiday was adopted by some other countries, existing celebrations, held on different dates, honoring motherhood have become described as “Mother’s Day”, such as Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom or, in Greece, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of the presentation of Jesus Christ to the temple (2 February of Julian Calendar). Both the secular and religious Mother Day are present in Greece. Mothering Sunday is often referred to as “Mother’s Day” even though it is an unrelated celebration.
In some countries, the date adopted is one significant to the majority religion, such as Virgin Mary Day in Catholic countries. Other countries selected a date with historical significance. For example, Bolivia’s Mother’s Day is a fixed date, remembering of a battle in which women participated to defend their children. See the “International history and tradition” section for the complete list.
Some countries, such as Russia, celebrated International Women’s Day instead of Mother’s Day or simply celebrate both holidays, which is the custom in Ukraine. Kyrgyzstan has recently introduced Mother’s Day, but “year on year International Women’s Day is certainly increasing in status”.
With this we end this week’s Sunday story and we shall meet as usual tomorrow morning. Till then GOOD BYE!
We do hope this was an interesting read to our esteemed viewers from all over the world.
Envius Thoughts 