I have often wondered what I may feel if I ever stepped into my mother’s shoes. Like my mother, if I had an arranged marriage as per the social laws that are set for Indian girls. And submitted to all the other cultural and traditional laws such as complete obedience to father, husband and father-in-law and respecting that fact that the only role of a woman is to look after the house and children I would wear a melancholy expression and seek condolence or enlightenment.
However, my mother has submitted to her father’s will regarding her education and marriage. For the last twenty years she has abided by and cared for a father-in-law without hesitation. She has without a doubt been a shadow of her husband and has selflessly sacrificed her hobbies, her free time, her career and her heart and soul to comply by the laws of conduct.
In this tribute, the warm colours used in most paintings bring forth the vision foreigners have of a vibrant culture and traditions that Indians hold onto strongly. The patterns as seen in my paintings are waves of traditional and cultural laws that seem to be waiting to drown the woman in a flood. The social conduct has these woman caught in a cage of customs, seeking condolence and hope while staring into nothing.
However, since my mother understands the value of traditions and freedom I would not end up sacrificing so many things for the sake of keeping customs. She has nurtured me with optimum amount of traditional conservativeness so that I may have an identity and be accepted in our community at the same time she has taught me to treasure freedom. Therefore this is a tribute to all those mothers who have spent their life in this way and name this set of paintings ‘ Tribute to a Mother’
