A Mother's Fight

They charged towards her with full force. She held her child tight, fearing for their life. They came at her with a vengeance. Who was she to defy them? They had all the power. But she was a mother determined to fight them for the sake of her only daughter. She gathered all her strength, prayed to the Mother Goddess, pressed her child close to her heart, and ran……across the road. Yes, she had done it; she had crossed F.C. Road to get to Vaishali restaurant. “Ma, hope we get a seat soon, I just can’t wait to have some Idli Sambar.” She rolled her eyes upwards, another day in the life of a mom.

A Tattoo tale

This year my husband gifted me a tattoo on my birthday! Rather, I told him that I'd like nothing else but a tattoo as a birthday gift. 

I've wanted to get tattooed for the longest time. As a child, I was fascinated by the maid with the tattoos. Of course for her it was nothing but a design she got done at the village fair, but to me it was just beautiful. Even at the Chaturshringi annual fair, I'd watch with awe, the tattoo artist who wrote on people's arms with his buzzing machine. That machine kind of reminded me of the one usually seen at a "Steel Bhandar". You know the one with which mothers or grandmothers got their names written on every steel item they purchased! 

Coming back to my tattoo story. I hadn't been able to zero in on a good design. There are so many things and people who mean a lot to me. How do I sum it all up in 3 to 4 inches?  

As for the placement, I definitely am not a mysterious person, whatever I do its out in the open, so that was an easy decision for me. I want a tattoo on my forearm, where the world can see it. Exhibitionist, maybe, but hey, that's how I'm wired. If you've got it, flaunt it. 

Since I was getting tattooed the for the very first time in my life I didn't want a big complicated design. I had heard various stories about the "pain", it ranged from a mild sting of a needle to scream your hair out. So I decided to play safe and get a small-sized one. 

The design means a lot to me. The "trishul" or trident symbolises the  number 3. This number carries a lot of significance in my life. It is also my birth number. The trishul also symbolises "Shakti", the all powerful goddess. I am a Pahadi, meaning "of the hills", an Uttaranchali. My ancestors are from the Kumaon Region. One of the most vivid memories I have of my native place is the Trident shaped mountain, also called Mount Trishul. It is a surreal glimpse of the Himalayas from a place called Kausani. Covered white with snow, the mountain shines a bright crimson at sunrise and sunset. On full moon nights, the moonlight reflects off the snow, that gives the Trishul a flourescent almost eerie glow. It is breath-taking! When I remember my native place, this is the most prominent view that comes in my mind's eye. What better way to remember my roots than to have it tattooed on my arm!?

The blue wave on the staff of the Trishul, stands for my zodiac sign, Aquarius. It represents "the water bearer". Now those who know me since childhood know very well my love of the water. I was a competitive swimmer in school. Completely mad about swimming, you can say. I still enjoy it just as much, and look forward to summer every year. I'm glad my daughter shares the same excitement with me now. I love watching water move just as much, especially the sea. I can sit for hours together, at the beach, just watching the movement of the waves. The sound is hypnotic, that's meditation and inner peace for me. What better place to enjoy this than GOA! Yes, I just had to mention it!! The design also looks like two "M"s, which is also a very important letter to me. My DH's and DD's names both start with the letter M. 

I'm glad I got it from an excellent artist. It took not more than ten minutes. And no it doesn't hurt all that much. 

Yes...someday I'm going back for another one.