Amma: My Superhero

          One day when I was a child, my teacher asked me, "Who is your real-life superhero?" And I replied without any hesitation, "My Amma (mother)". I don't know why, but suddenly the whole class started laughing at my answer, whispering: 'Superhero? Her Mom?Ha..Ha..Nothing more funny! ' 

          I wondered, 'What else should my answer have been?' When my sister and I used to call out "Amma," she would appear there in an instant, so fast that even Marvel's Flash couldn't catch up with her. She, like Spiderman, would come for our lives whenever we were in danger. I have seen her fight for us a lot and be a great warrior like Wonder Woman. I have seen her holding my little sister on her hip as well as carrying both of our school bags on her shoulder. Oh God ! She is stronger than Superman! ' 

          And for me, a superhero should not only be able to save us from trouble, but also be able to take care of us and love us, even during the normal times. And my Amma is such a kind ! She takes care of us every single second. She always makes sure that we (my sister and I) are very comfortable. She never ever prioritised herself. My sister and I were her top priorities. She would be more happy and satisfied ,to see us in new clothes, rather than to buy one pair for herself. She used to walk in her worn shoes, for us to walk in brand new ones.And even if there was nothing left in the kitchen for her to eat, she would always make sure that our stomachs were full.

          The mornings of our school days were those times when my Amma would become the busiest man in the world. From kitchen to dining room, she would be busy preparing our milk and breakfast for the morning and packing lunch for school. She would also do other house chores in the middle of this. I don't know a single superhero who is a pro at multitasking other than my Amma.

          She would wrap us with kisses before departing for school. We always wanted Amma to be there at home when we came back from school. And she would be there with hot tea and snacks, waiting for her little angels to come back home. And sometimes, she wouldn't be there at home and would leave a small note, along with tea and snacks, mentioning where she had gone. And we hated those times when we couldn't find her at home after school. And the same applies to our father, who has come back from work. He would also enquire about Amma, if he couldn't find her at home.

          She would sit with us, with a keen interest on her face, listening to our endless school stories. She was such a good listener that she never once interrupted our sluttering words. 

          Amma was so eager and enthusiastic about our studies and talents. I remember those late nights and early mornings when I used to stay up studying. Amma would also stay up with me and would prepare a hot cup of tea for refreshment, with much love. When I was in third grade, I participated in an English speech competition for the first time and secured third place. Amma was the one who trained me for that.She didn't know much about the English language. Yet she didn't give up. She was adamant about training me for the speech competition. She bought an English speech book for children and taught me a speech from it. She used to teach me a single line a day and make me repeat it for several days. When she came across a word she didn't know the meaning of, she would look it up in the dictionary and write the definition above the word in Malayalam, for me to understand and learn.I really appreciate her patience level. She was the first to applaud when I received prizes during the school anniversaries. She would leave all her engagements to come to our school and watch our performances with the greatest excitement.

          Amma always tries to hide our flaws and mistakes from the world and corrects us in private. I'd never heard her reveal our flaws to anyone else before. And she never ever hesitated to speak for us.  We may seem ugly to the world. But for my Amma, we are the Miss Universes. She always makes us feel like the most beautiful girls out there in the whole world. We may seem useless and talentless to the world. But in the eyes of our Amma, we are the most talented human beings. We may seem devilish to the world, but to her, we are the angels sent from heaven.

          I remember those summer nights when the power used to go off and then she would lie down by our side the whole night, keeping us cool with those manual fans. And it was her hugs and kisses that kept us warm in the winter. She always tries to keep us cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

          So for me, Amma is not just confined to the status of a mother. She is my biggest motivator, my greatest teacher and a fearless warrior.

          Nothing in the world can compensate for all the sacrifices she made for us and for all the love she poured on us. And it is those sacrifices and love that gave me the courage to stand up to the world and say: "Amma is my superhero."