My Mother Lived for Me
My mother was a very simple woman.
She was not educated.
She did not know English words.
But she knew one thing very well.
She knew how to love.
Her name was Kamla.
She lived in a small house near the railway line.
The house was old.
The walls had cracks.
The roof leaked in the rainy season.
But for me,
that house was the safest place in the world.
Because my mother lived there.
Every day my mother woke up before sunrise.
She did not use an alarm.
Her body was her alarm.
She washed her face with cold water.
She tied her hair.
She wore her old saree.
Then she started working.
She cooked food for me.
One roti.
Some vegetables.
Sometimes only salt and onion.
She always gave me more food.
She ate less.
When I asked her,
"Maa, why are you eating so little?"
She smiled and said,
"I am not hungry."
Now I understand.
She was always hungry.
I was a school student.
I was not very smart.
But I liked studying.
My school was far.
I walked every day.
My shoes were old.
Sometimes they had holes.
When it rained, my feet became wet.
Other children laughed.
They had bags, bottles, shoes.
I had only books and dreams.
I never complained.
Because I saw my mother working every day.
My mother worked in other people's houses.
Cleaning floors.
Washing clothes.
Washing dishes.
Sometimes people shouted at her.
Sometimes they did not pay her on time.
She came home tired.
Her hands were shaking.
Her back was bent.
But when she saw me,
she smiled.
She always smiled.
One day, my teacher gave me a paper.
It was a school notice.
School fees due.
Last date: three days.
My hands started shaking.
I did not know what to do.
That night,
I kept the paper inside my bag.
I did not show it to my mother.
But mothers know everything.
That night,
I woke up suddenly.
I saw my mother sitting on the floor.
She was counting money.
Notes.
Coins.
She counted again and again.
Then she wiped her tears.
She thought I was sleeping.
Next morning,
my mother said nothing.
She cooked food.
She packed my tiffin.
When I came back from school,
the notice was on the table.
Fees paid.
I was shocked.
Then I saw her neck.
Her chain was missing.
"Maa, where is your chain?"
I asked.
She looked at me and smiled.
"It was old.
I sold it."
Her voice was calm.
But my heart broke.
That chain was her only memory.
That day,
I did not say anything.
But inside my heart,
I made a promise.
I will study.
I will work hard.
I will change her life.
Years passed.
I studied every day.
Morning and night.
My mother woke up early.
She slept late.
Her health became weak.
She had pain in her chest.
She felt dizzy many times.
I asked her to see a doctor.
She said,
"After your exam."
After many years,
I got a job.
Not a big job.
But a job.
I ran home happily.
"Maa, I got a job!"
She smiled.
But she looked very weak.
That night,
she cooked my favorite food.
She sat beside me.
She held my hand.
She said,
"Beta, always be kind.
Always respect people."
Next morning,
I woke up early.
"Maa?"
No answer.
I went to her room.
She was lying still.
Peaceful.
Like she was sleeping.
On the table,
there was a paper.
I opened it.
"Beta, ab Maa thak gayi hai."
To be coutinu