Super Mom

A Note on Privacy: I realize that this post gives away who I am exactly, as well as a lot of info on my Mom, but I reckon this is nothing compared to what has already been published in the media, and I personally have no problems with revealing my identity completely.

Well... I stumbled across a little comment from Tipsy to her sister on how they always end up mentioning their Mom in almost every blog post. And I realized that the same's the case with me! Heavens! Why is this so? I don't see it happening on most other blogs!! So I have the cure-all: I'm putting up a full post dedicated to my Mom. Maybe then my blog will become Mom-free!

My Mom is S.Mallika Badrinath, renowned culinary expert of Tamil Nadu. She's written 18 books translated into 5 languages, given TV shows on cooking on various channels for the past 12 years. There's hardly a Tamil housewife in the world who hasn't heard about her. I remember, she once got a feeler from a political party. Of course she said she was not interested, but I'm quite sure that if she stood for any sort of election, she would win, because all men are controlled by their wives!!

What's admirable about her achievements is her humble beginnings: she studied in a modest school and a modest college in the little town of Salem near Coimbatore. She knew nothing about cooking beyond any normal housewife when she moved to Chennai after marriage. While my Dad was away for extended periods because of his work, she would experiment in the kitchen for lack of anything else to do! All she had to go by were her Grandmother's notes.

Today, my Mom is kind of an authority on cooking... her knowledge of the little tricks that one should know to make every single dish that extra bit tastier, easier and faster to cook is amazing. She also makes it a point to give importance to the health and nutrition aspects of cooking, and surprises even me with modifications of known dishes, or new experimental dishes, that are as healthy as they are tasty. Combine all this with her sweet and easy demeanour, and you can see why she is such a hit.

Her fame comes at a price, though. Now, she continues to write cookbooks and give TV shows; helps manage our Masala powder factory (MHP Masala) along with my Dad; writes for various magazines; gives cooking demonstrations and a few classes on occasion; acts as a consultant for hire; apart from continuing to learn things in cooking and nutrition, managing the household, and pursuing her own interests in Spirituality and Yoga. It's a wonder how she manages all this with just 24 hours a day! She is recognized everywhere we go, and it's impossible to travel in peace with her by train. She gets a zillion fan calls and letters every day!

Some of these letters are hilarious. There was one from a woman who said she was being harrassed by her M-i-L because of her poor cooking skills... she pleaded with my Mom for help and said she would commit suicide if she didn't get a reply. You must be wondering what is so funny about all this... it seems very serious... well, basically the letter had no "From" address.

There was another call from a singer... forget her name... she's given her voice for quite a few hit movie numbers. She wanted some tips on losing weight. My Mom replies, "Good Luck! If you do find out, let me know, I need to lose some weight myself!" The point is, knowing is not the same as doing... it requires a strict low-carbohydrate diet combined with physical workout sessions to make it happen... which surely won't work for us rice-eaters.

I guess I'm not actually proud of my Mom for her achievements, as much as I am for the fact that she is a great Mom. Today I give utmost importance to honesty, integrity, compassion and altruism; and this is all thanks to the values instilled in me from a young age by my Mom. The philosophy that one should always do one's bit to improve the world around us; to continually teach and learn; and to give people infinite chances to become better human beings are what I've adopted from my Mom, and I wholeheartedly believe in them myself now.

In spite of my Mom being so totally super, I know for a fact that she feels somewhat unappreciated because of some incorrigible family habits: my Dad and I can't bring ourselves to give compliments, but we're free with criticism. And we've never had the habit of saying nice things or giving gifts or any such thing. I know my Mom knows that I love her, but I've never figured out how to tell her how much I really do.

I envy the people who can express their innermost feelings to others clearly. I can expound on any technical topic better than most people, but when it comes to expressing my feelings I am a duck.

Cheers,
Prashanth.