Maa, a title so short, yet they carry the world's weight on their shoulders without sighing, convincing their children that superheroes didn't wear capes or heavy armour.
For Akshara, Maa was a ghost. She heard stories and saw videos of her Mumma, Naira, showering her with affection and adoration, but she could never remember those moments. She would never know what Naira's touch felt like, what stories she'd tell to lull her into sleep, or what memories they'd make as a mother-daughter duo.
Then, there was Sirat Maa, the mother who taught her how to crawl and cheered the loudest when Akshara ran. When Kartik watched his daughters with Sirat, he saw Murugan and Ganesha with Shivji and Parvati Ma. There was a story. The Gods gifted Shiv ji an irresistible fruit with the sweet nectar of immortality and supreme knowledge. Both children were eager to get their hands on the prize, so Shiv ji started a friendly competition. He told his sons the first child to circle the world three times wins the fruit. Faster of the two, Murugan rushed into his vehicle and flew worldwide. Shiv ji was perplexed, for Ganesha had yet to run after his brother. He ushered Ganesha to move. Slowly, Ganesha rose and circled his parents three times with a smile brighter than the blazing sun.
"Ganesha," Parvati Ma asked quietly, "what are you doing?"
"My parents are my world." His matter-of-fact voice bewildered his parents.
When Kartik saw Aarohi race to be the best, he saw in her a little Murugun. But when he saw Akshara tend to a sick Sirat, his heart couldn't be contained, for her love for Sirat was akin to Ganesha's worship of Mahadev and Parvati Maa. Until her Sirat Maa was better, Akshara's heart was on bypass.
His heart wept with regret when she broke down, losing two mothers simultaneously. 'I should've told her sooner,' he thought, 'so I could be there.' Kartik didn't live long enough to help his daughter grapple with the truth of two mothers. He wasn't there when she was grieving the loss of a mother she never knew. He couldn't tell her how Naira lived on in Akshara's voice or Kairav's smiles. Couldn't share how, with each moment, his love for Naira increased tri-folds, for she carried such magic in her step that one couldn't help but be enamoured. He wasn't there to shield her from the blame for Sirat's death or Aarohi's wrath.
She was the daughter of two mothers, yet she lived as an orphan.
But she never complained. Her tiny heart seemed abundant, loving everyone deeply. Kartik often wondered how his little girl could love so much without losing herself in the mist. He could hear Manish saying, "She has Naira's heart."
From his place in the heavens, Kartik recited, 'She has Naira's heart' when she embraced Manjari with the same fervour, she'd shown her Maa and Mumma. For a fleeting moment, she felt as if the universe had returned all she'd lost. And she let go. There, on Valentine's Day, with her head in Manjari's lap and her Naira Maa's blanket, she let go of the weight she had carried for years. The tears she hid, the trauma she buried, all burst through the cracks as her mask grew weary. His little girl was tired, and she'd finally found someone to hold her while she rested. Someone who loved as deeply as she did and shared his world with her. Abhimanyu, he thanked from the stars.
I originally wanted to write a story about how no one could love Akshu as Naira did, especially Manjari whose loved was conditional. I wanted Akshu to think, "kyun nahi Maa sari duniya teri tarah." But hasn't our girl seen enough pain? So, I ended it here, in a moment where she found a safe space.
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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