Page 15 - Memorial Book Thilaga Mylvaganam

The firstborn philosophises . . . .

I am constantly amazed by how almost every human being I meet, places
such high value on their mothers - most often, far more than the
reverence they have for their fathers. For the rest of us, these mothers are
just human beings, with their individual strengths and frailties.

I now remember what my mother, Thilahi, Tikky, Thilaham, Thila, was to
so many people. Being a human being who was hugely invested in her
sentimental nature, she rejoiced in the love, respect and awe that others
felt for her: her parents, siblings, uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews,
cousins and friends. They had an enduring love for her, and she returned
that in kind, every chance she had.

Of course, being her children, my siblings and I orbited quite close to this
blazing Sun in our lives, and things did get hot quite often. But, we could
not shake off that underlying love we felt for her and hers for us. It
manifested itself in ways that were not always easy to understand.

To my siblings and me, she was our portal to the world of knowledge,
music, culture, stories and histories and so much more. I contrast this
with the kind of influence my father had, which was mostly what he called
“practical things”, or “men and matters”. While he was sharply focused on
all things of relevance that had an impact on other lives, Amma was broad
in the scope of what she taught, and inspired her children and her
numerous students with. Each of us children has added more dimensions
of knowing, experiencing and reaching out, to our lives, based on the
foundation of connectedness that she laid for us. When I say
‘connectedness’, I mean it profoundly.

Speaking for myself, I have learnt or received from my mother, several
things that I have taken further in developing my own nature as an
individual.

It was my mother who taught me to read, write and make me aware of the
bigger world through storytelling starting at the age or 3 or4. She did this
in turn for my younger siblings – each in his or her turn.

At about the age of 9, my parents re-connected with Giridhari Prasad, a
lecturer on spirituality and its application to practical living, who came
from Coimbatore. He was a guest in our house a few times, and we went to
his lectures quite often, and were imbibed with the wisdom from the
Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics. I thought my
Late Mrs. Tilakavati Mylvaganam 14