3 key reflections from the Mother Daughter Mela
This week, I was invited with Priyanka and my mother to attend the Mother Daughter Mela (Festival) at Central Primary Government Marathi School, Amboli. I was absolutely delighted to be present at an event that celebrated the special bond between mother and daughters and appreciate its significance. I felt truly honoured with the staff welcoming us with their token of love and respect. Among the fabulous dance performances and felicitation, this event sparked a reflection within me.
Here, I am sharing my 3 key reflections from this event.
Cherishing relationships
I felt the mother daughter mela is a great initiative that presents opportunities to strengthen the relationship between mothers and daughters. The love between a mother and daughter is truly unique and special and this event encapsulated it well. It was fascinating to witness girls’ students from Class 1 to 8 with their mothers attending this event and participating enthusiastically.
When Priyanka thanked our mother in her speech during this event for being an excellent mother and a great role model, everyone in the audience including teachers at the schools, students and their mothers got emotional. I reflected that in our everyday life when we take existing relationships for granted this event was a happy reminder of being grateful to our parents, siblings, friends, loved ones or even to distant well-wishers. It is through these tiny gestures of expressing gratitude, spending quality time, relying on each other for care and support, reaching out for no apparent reason makes any relation strong over time.
2) Opportunity for Discussing Concerns
I learnt that this mela is celebrated in every government school as part of Beti Bachao Abhiyaan (Save Girl Child Program) for women’s empowerment. Along with being a celebration of the mother-daughter bond, I realized that this event also presented an opportunity to open dialogue on concerns that hampers a daughter’s life. With prevalent issues of child marriage, dowry and safety of girl child in India, this event is a platform to educate mothers to stand for their daughter’s rights and protection and to ensure that daughters feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings with their mothers.
I was very happy when my mother emphasized in her speech about the important role a mother plays in shaping a daughter’s life through words and actions. She guided the other mothers in the audience to provide a safe space for their daughters to encourage dialogue between them, to always embrace them with warm love and soft words, to give wings to their dreams, fight against the social ills of child marriage and protect their daughters. With this, my mother also advised daughters to trust and respect their mothers who always wish for the best for their daughters and to create a synergy where the bond is deepened with love, trust and care.
I learned that such exchange of ideas, knowledge and understanding is a great way to address the community concerns and also look for solution through participation from change makers, in this case mothers. This event is an excellent way to raise awareness on social ills and ways to tackle them with power of open dialogue and creating a stronger women community.
3) Celebrating Womanhood
After returning from the event, I reflected that the event was not just a celebration of mother and daughters’ bond rather it was a celebration of womanhood in every role that she takes. As a mother, she is often the first teacher, guide, and protector in a daughter’s life, while a daughter brings hope, pride, and new perspectives to her mother. I feel womanhood is a symbol of resilience, compassion, creativity, and strength where we are constantly embracing our identities, honoring our journeys, and celebrating the unique roles we play be it as mothers, daughters, sister, a wife, a daughter-in-law and other important social roles.
The mela reinforced the idea of celebrating womanhood within where the celebration isn’t just about individual achievement but also about fostering connection and community. When women come together to share their experiences, support one another, and dream big, I believe incredible things happen. Whether it’s a mother encouraging her daughter, a sister lending a listening ear, or diverse women from different communities coming together to celebrate shared values, these connections become the foundation of women empowerment and this mela was a crucial celebration towards it.
To conclude, I am truly grateful to the entire staff of Central Primary Government Marathi School, Amboli for inviting me to this significant and inspiring event that reminded me to cherish relationship, enlightened me with important social concerns and celebrate womanhood.
