Happy Birthday Amma !

I remember my early childhood days in Chennai,
when you would teach me maths, science, Hindi and English,
patiently correcting the million mistakes I would make,
never losing your temper for even a minute,
always smiling and always ready to teach me once more.

I remember the days when you used to take me to movies,
sometimes even buying tickets in black so that I would be happy,
I remember you coming home from office everyday,
with a pastry for your son from the nearby bakery,
not missing out on that even on a single day.

When I passed the IIT entrance examination,
you proudly announced it to all our family and friends.
I felt wonderful that for once you and appa,
were so proud of their irascible son,
who was so difficult to manage.

Every time I try to tell you what you mean to me,
how much I love you and how well you have taken care of me,
during my long bouts of illness when darkness enveloped my life,
you just brush it aside with a shrug of your shoulders and tell me,
that you just did what every mother would do for her child.

There have been times when I have made you feel very bad,
yelling at you because of my beastly temper which I could never control,
you always tolerated it and folded me in your comforting arms.
When I cried in dejection and faced failure at every front,
it was you, my dear amma, who held my hand and consoled me.

I remember our trips to interviews for years and years,
I would finish the interview and during our return journey by train,
I would go to a different compartment and smoke cigarettes,
and you would wait for a long time and then come to check on me,
fool that I was, I would show my wrath on you.

There have been times when I have been an angry son,
who failed to listen to you and defied your wise words,
but every time I came back to you with my tail between my legs,
you have embraced me warmly and welcomed me with open arms,
and helped me pick up the threads of my shattered life.

Amma, when you had to be operated upon,
you did not tell me because you felt I would get distracted,
there were none of us to take you to the hospital,
brave woman that you are, you went alone and got admitted in the hospital,
when I found out about that I was very distraught and angry.

Amma, there is no one like you and there never shall be,
you are one wonderful woman and the backbone of our family,
I love you and wish that in every birth of mine,
I am born to you as your son and to no one else,
Amma I love you and I always shall.

Now finally on a lighter vein oh my wonderful dummie,
have a very very happy and wonderful birthday,