A lucky ‘man’ gets a great mother though all mothers are great! A luckier man gets a great wife in addition to a great mother! The luckiest though are those who get a daughter!
The father daughter bond is one of the most purest and sacred!
When I first held my very pink just born daughter in my trembling hands I was so overwhelmed to have been chosen to be the father of this angel!
I simply held her and exclaimed that, “She looks like my mother!” and ran out to ‘show’ off to everyone!
My mother in law ran behind me saying, “Do not forget your wife who is still in recovery!”
A Man is thus known by how he treats three women of his life; mother wife and daughter!
In Bengali culture (I have a close association with that!); daughters, especially from a father, are often affectionately called “Maa” (mother) as a term of deep respect, seeing them as embodiments of the divine mother (Maa Durga)
Now the formal word for daughter is “meye” (মেয়ে) or “konnya” (কন্যা).
This affectionate naming reflects honor, not burden, with fathers calling their daughters “Maa” and sometimes even “Baba” (father) to show love and respect, similar to how sons might be called “Baba” or “Khoka”!
This practice highlights the elevated status of daughters in Bengali families, viewing them as goddesses. It’s a term of endearment, signifying love and reverence, not a literal role reversal!
Now although it is a reference to Ma Durga; it is also a reference to your own mother! Father many times treats their daughter as they treat their mother while the daughter when she gets old, treats her father like a mother!
Which is why they are called MA!
Then again you treat your mother with pure respect and you treat your daughter with pure love! Then what about the wife you say?
Well, it is an amalgamation of both love and respect! The percentages differ every other day!
Lucky are those who still can call up their mother!
My calls are one way for some time now…
A sketch of a Ma! Durga Khote ji…
Shubh ratri…
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