My earliest memory of my mom is climbing into her lap to have chocolate milk. Sitting in her lap was mandatory to gulp it down! Her smell was home with traces of Pears soap. It stays the best sniff my nose has ever taken!
She is a dental surgeon and has built an extremely ethical brand for herself. She loves travelling and participates in treks including the mighty Everest Base Camp. Along with the majestic sights of Himalayas, she also took in the adversities faced by the locals lost in the mountains. Her pricking conscious drove her into building the legacy she inherited from her father –
“You can serve the nation through your profession.”
In 2000, she partnered with a non-profit to conduct free dental camps in the dense North East India – where help hovered at a non-existent level. Armed with medicine bags, makeshift equipment and a steely resolve she started a life-changing journey, approximately 2000 miles from home. Red tape, extreme weather, minimal transport, zero network, language barriers and patients caught in a time rip were few of the problems she faced. Yet those people, touched that a doctor actually cared to visit, went all out to support this 100 pound female.
Fourteen years, seven states and thousands of patients later, she has set up five clinics where doctors come all year around. She also published a book where she breathes life into her experiences and received numerous national awards for her work and book.
Yet, it took me years to truly comprehend the gravity of her work and the outstanding contribution she is making. Because, she was still MOM! I was too naïve to understand that my mom is also a woman – an exceptional woman carving her identity.
She was there for our exams, shopping trips, family functions, weekend getaways, spring cleaning! From gently waking us for school to waiting up for lunch, she was there and she was there in her element. She did about a thousand and one jobs a day and effortlessly loved, laughed, comforted and supported without even a sigh of exhaustion. The night before her book launch, she was asking for my food wishlist to carry back to hostel. She found the time to make my favourite sweets and get me a new dress. All before one of the most profound events of her life!
Until she was on the stage and I heard prominent dignitaries speaking about her, she was MOM! That evening, resplendent in flashlights, she became Dr. Pratibha Athavale.
Woman. Doctor. Humanitarian.
How did I fail so miserably in understanding the woman I love so fiercely? Yes, I was proud of her; I could wax eloquent to show off her work and that she is my mom. But the essence of the woman within her, of the caregiver inside her got woefully sidelined.
Now as she takes the spotlight I am happy that I feel and recognize the heart and soul of her work. I connect with her at a level beyond belief. We converse as two women. But the best part? In all her speeches – first and foremost she is still being Mom, seeking us out in the vast audience to share her happiness and appreciation.
Hats off to the amazing person you call Mum.
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Thanks Bruce 🙂
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Hey prajakta,
You spoke your heart out about your mom:)) Mom will always be mom.:)) lovely post on mom:))
Cheers!!
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Yes Upen, it came from the heart and hopefully touched many hearts! 🙂 Thank you!
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It will touch every heart for sure!! Keep it up:))
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That is just so awesome ! Give your ma a warm hug and lots of love on my behalf!! 🙂
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Thanks a lot 🙂 I will give her two!
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What a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to your mom. She sounds like an amazing woman who has gifted the world with her kind spirit. She has provided you with a stellar role model in more ways than one. Thank you for sharing this story with your readers! 🙂
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That was such a lovely comment 🙂 And truly, I hope that one day I manage to make even a part of the difference that she is doing. Thank you!
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What a wonderful post about your mother. She is a truly inspiring person. You are right to be so proud of her and I think she would be so happy to know that she was just the right mother for you.
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Thank you Deborah, this comment really touched me. I will be sharing this with her 🙂
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Beautiful.
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Thank you!
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That’s so sweet of your mother. Our country needs more of such people.
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Thank you Anoop! Every bit counts in such work..
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Mom’s are often much more than we realize. And it frequently takes us time to see and appreciate all of their qualities. 🙂 Your words about her are obviously warranted… and thoughtful.
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You are so right Eric, as I am learning all of this slowly and I have a feeling I will be doing so all my life. Thanks a lot! 🙂
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What a beautiful tribute to your mother praj. We often forget the wonderful contribution our parents make outside the home because for so much of the time as you say they are our mums. It is lovely that you are so connected to your mother, its one of the things i missed out getting to know my mother better than I did. I am sure your mother would be proud to read what you have said about her.
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Thank you so much Michael! It is so difficult to see beyond the persona of “Mum” and “Dad” – and to remember it as well.
I wish you could have known your mother better but your words about your children and grandchildren reflect beautiful bonds, incomparable but still precious.
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Thanks praj, that’s a lovely comment.
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Hats off to your mom! She was doing so much as a doc and being a mom at home with you not realizing her work is such a great thing!
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You are so right, Rahul – her seamless blending into every role is amazing!
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It takes a certain kind of maturity to understand our parents as they truly are, in all their dimensions. You’ve done a great job here. I bet she is proud of you too!
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Thanks a lot JoAnne, I took my time there…
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What an amazing and inspiring woman!
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Thank you!
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What an amazing woman your mother is! And this is such a lovely and joyous tribute of not just her but your relationship with her. Thanks so much for sharing. I’m very happy to know of her.
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Thank you Jenny for such a lovely comment. I am glad I could share my feelings.
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Speechless.!
My eyes were continuously widening as I went through whole of it. Your mother is a great human being and you’ve portrayed it magnificently.!
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I feel honoured that you could connect 🙂 Thank you so much!
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There really is so very much to celebrate about your extraordinary Mum! It’s so lovely how you reflect on the differences between her public and personal self, and you clearly have a beautiful relationship with her, as reflected in your tribute to her. Nicely done.
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Asha, that was such a touching comment. This reflection comes from observations I did not even realize I was making, till one fine evening. Thanks a lot!
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Woah! Hats off to her .. amazing, beautiful 🙂 Such a lovely post. Thanks for sharing Prajakta! 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 Just a way of sharing her story.
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Wow!
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Thank you Ankur!
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What An amaaaazing woman you have as a mum…..this post is beautiful…..May I ask you the permission to reblog it in my blog?
France
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Thank you so much!!! Of course you can reblog it 🙂 it’s an honor that you would want to.
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Thank you, I just reblogged you post under that link: http://francesorganicbeautysecrets.com/2015/01/18/not-just-a-mother/
I wish your post a beautiful and deserved success.
Read you soon
France
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Wow!! I have been checking out your blog and your exquisite poetry but I must say this is the best tribute ever! Rerun it again on Mother’s Day. You’ll be doing all of us a favor to look past the “motherly” exterior of our own moms. Great writing!
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Thank you so much for appreciating this. Every word came from those moments of realization when I saw my mother giving it her all.
I’ll surely rerun it… for every woman inside our mom.
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Reblogged this on france's organic beauty secrets and commented:
It is rare for me to reblog posts…
As you noticed, my blog is about natural beauty…and beautiful women inside out….
The post is about a blogger’s Mom…she was beautiful…as a Mom…as well as as a woman…what she accomplished…is amazingly beautiful…I had to share this post.
Please read…this moving story…of a beautiful woman.
Xx
France
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Many thanks for the reblog!
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My deepest admirations to your mum! This is a person to which level we all should look to.
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Thank you Antonia. She has been a tremendous inspiration to me and my family.
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Touching and genuine. No, wait. Touching, because genuine. Lovely tribute – I had to check whether Mother’s Day was near. But then again, it doesn’t have to be Mother’s Day for you to appreciate Mom. 🙂 🙂
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Thank you! My feelings were guiding this post, words were just a medium.
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People like me who don’t call back home as often as they should, are going to read this and say, ‘Let me just call my mom’…!! 😀 On a serious note,Just wow. What a person and What a tribute to her… !!! Very Well Done.
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Thank you Dev 🙂 I hope you enjoyed that call with your mom.
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Beautiful ode to your mom!
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Thank you 🙂
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[…] – it’s not quite a vacation- I don’t want to box it in. I have earlier written about the work my mother has been doing in the tribal village areas of Northeast India – possibly the most […]
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Not only she does this great job as a dentist in remote north east villages, she also shared her experiences in the form of an interesting book which makes an enjoyable read. Way to go Dr. Pratibha Athavale.
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Absolutely 🙂 Glad to see you here!
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