All around the
world, not just on this day, but each day, mothers are celebrated for their
strength, bravery, conviction, duty and efforts. A mother, who conceives the
child, plays one of the major roles in giving care to the child and the family.
Every mother is beautiful, and is considered to be a treasure in every society.
A mother is known to be a survivor, protector, giver and a believer. Just as
every family has a mother who becomes the face of the family, similarly in
India during the independence era, a symbol of strength, unity and pride
emerged, that brought the whole country together to fight against the invaders.
One of the most inspiring images of a mother made in Indian history is that of
‘Bharat Mata’ or ‘Mother India’.
The image of an
extremely mesmerizing, divine, fair woman depicted in a saree, depicted with
the Indian flag in the left hand and showering blessing on her children from
her right hand, often seen residing on a lion, Bharat Mata or Mother India has
over the years become the symbol of strength, respect, nationalism and pride in
India. It is always believed that a mother is a symbol of strength and one of
the most pious souls in this entire world. Similarly, every image of the Bharat
Mata showcased a similar image, but often in different versions.
The first
image of the Bharat Mata was created by Abindranath Tagore, who depicted Mother
India like a saint, wearing a saffron saree, with 4 hands holding a book, a
rosary/ mala, a white cloth and sheaves of paddy rice. Later on, with the
changing scenario of the country, new customized versions of the paining
emerged. And as of today, the image of Bharat Mata has changed predominantly,
barring the fact that she is still a mesmerizing, divine and fair woman.
It was during the
late 19th century, when the Europeans had taken over most of the
world and the British had taken over the Indian sub-continent, the love for the
Indian land was emphasized and the sense of patriotism was inculcated in the
people. India, Bharat, a land with multiple cultures and religions, where
diversity was celebrated, saw the influx of foreigners in their land and to
lead a movement against them, a common image to boost the morale of the people
was extremely essential. Thus, images from the dominant religion were used to
bring all the people together, one of them being Bharat Mata.
In late 19th
century in Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s poem and his novel, for the first time,
India was referred to as ‘Mata’ or ‘Mother’. The image of the Bharat Mata was
first depicted in Abindranath Tagore’s paintings in the beginning of the 20th
century, which was considered to be one of the most iconic paintings ever made
in India, because it was one of the earliest attempts to humanise the figure of
the Indian Land, Mother India. Such an image was soon accepted by the Indians
which soon led to the trigger in the patriotic mindset of the people, along
with the emergence of various other images with a similar purpose. To fight the
divide and rule policies of the British, the image of the Bharat Mata was
depicted in various forms, at times showing the valor of Durga in a tricolor
flag, other images in which she was seen blessing different nationalist leaders
and sometimes, being chained by some white asuras attacking her (depicting the
British), all of which ignited the sense of passion, faith and courage among
the Indians to lead the movement. Soon temples were constructed to establish
her permanence in the society along with several other gods, which ultimately
led towards the successful transmission of the message among the Indians
regarding their fight against the British. Thus, it was very much clear that such
an image inspired many to participate in the freedom struggle.
There have been
several aspects as to why such an image comes into use especially to generate
the feeling of patriotism and nationalism among the people. Bharat Mata, a
mother is associated with the patriotic image mainly because each and every
household in the Indian society has a mother. Also, since the longest of times,
female deities have been worshipped in several household. This the idea of a
female deity shown as the mother of the soil, associated with each and every
household. No matter what kind of household one lived in, every household had a
motherly figure, and having the Bharat Mata as the face of the nation to
initiate the freedom struggle in those times, played an instrumental role in
psychologically boosting the spirit of Indian to fight for independence.
Moreover, when people realized about the holiness of the land and the motherly
figure of the land, the sense of unity ignited among the people as they were
all the children of the same soil. All of this cut across the several barriers
of the society and generated a sense of oneness among the people without
getting the differences in its way.
But, when we
compare the usage of the image of Bharat Mata in the past and its usage today
in the present, there is a complete contradiction in the way the image has been
perceived. Today, we see people shouting slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jay” on the
streets to showcase their nationalism. We also witness that the image of Mother
India is overtaken by the slogans, which becomes the sign of patriotism,
negating which becomes a sign of protest. It is often said, that a mother never
differentiates between her children. But today there is a different way in
which she is perceived by people, and her original image is seen to have lost
its ground. An image which cut across all differences and fought against the
evils of the society is used in a different manner today, sadly, misused in
several cases.
In times like
these, it becomes essential for us to remember that Bharat Mata made people
understand the importance of unity, which seems to be the thing of the past
today. Bharat Mata made our ancestors believe that they were all one, and the
freedom of choice prevailed among their differences as well. Bharat Mata loved
each and every child of hers dearly, without any form of differentiation.
In spite of the
several transformations in the society which has led to different eras, a
draped mother, with a smile on her face and a spark in her eyes, promising to
protect, believe and give immense love her family and society, can still be
seen in the form of every mother in our houses. Thus, Kudos to the several
mothers who have helped in shaping the lives of several people and in
performing one of the most noble tasks of mankind, giving birth.
Happy Mother’s Day
to the forgotten Bharat Mata, who inspired our ancestors to believe in the idea
of freedom and justice. A very Happy Mother’s Day to each and every mother out
there who has been a pillar of strength to millions of families out there.
- Vijayasree V
Comments
Post a Comment