Grateful to my mother

“Amma Endrazhaikaatha Uyir Illaye”

The famous song of Ilaiyaraja that celebrates the greatness of mothers has stood the test of time remaining as one of the top songs that glorifies the sentiment of devoted children to their mothers.

It is a moving song that makes us feel grateful to our mothers who have given us everything including this very life. I used to love this song when I was younger mainly for the musical merit of this.

I have many things to be thankful for. Of the many things that my mother has done for me, I am indebted to her mainly for instilling in me a passionate love for learning. I believe I have retained that innate curiosity and passionate love for all science and arts, thanks to my parents.

My mother cooks wonderful dishes that delights us even now. She is actually a Sanskrit expert (in fact a PhD in the interdisciplinary field of Sociology and Sanskrit). Having an in-depth Tamil knowledge and understanding of Vaishnavite literature in Tamil (Divya Prabandham), She has taught me Sanskrit and Tamil hymns in an authentic and traditional way. I truly admire her knowledge and devotion.

The ultimate expression of her love towards me was when she taught me “Construction of Bridges” chapter in my Basic Civil Engineering which was part of my first year engineering course. I still don’t know how this is a relevant subject for Computer Engineering students but I think it is nice to get at least a basic knowledge in Mechanical, Civil, Electrical and Electronics engineering. Anyhow, I procrastinated studying until the last minute during my first semester engineering exam so much so that I did not have time to cover the entire portion in 1 day.

It is extremely difficult to learn the entire semester portion in a single day but towards the end of my engineering course, I became a master learner, learning everything in the shortest span of time inventing my own algorithms that made studying easy. However, this was 2001 and I was in first year of engineering. I was not as efficient in learning at that time. So I delegated the job of reading this particular chapter to my mother who had no idea about Civil engineering. But my mother is a very intelligent person. She studied that chapter and explained the concepts to me in a short time just before I headed to my basic civil engineering exam.

I know my mother did it because of her love for me. I am grateful to her for showering her love in these unique ways that only a mother can do.

I dedicate this song “Amma Endrazhaikaatha Uyir Illaye” to my mother who is an epitome of compassion just like all the mothers in the world.

This song is composed in Kalyani Ragam by Maestro Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja and sung by the legendary K.J. Yesudas.

I am very happy to play this song on the Veena this year on the occasion of Vijayadasami that celebrates the victory of good over evil.