Celebrating Mother's Day under lockdown

Khovelu Naroh with her mother and siblings.

Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | May 9

Every year, on Mother’s Day, Elizabeth Sandham would bring flowers for her bedridden mother, who spent 11 years in the hospital in a state of coma. She was diagnosed with brain tumor (meningioma) in the year 2009. This year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a sense of happiness as her mother was brought home from Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) on March 30, as it was converted to COVID-19 Hospital.

“My mother coming home is more than happiness for me. I bought a few ingredients yesterday to bake on Mother’s Day”, she expresses. She was just eleven years old when her mother fell ill and in a way, missed out on many things that mothers and daughters share. “Some days I am lost in thoughts and when I start thinking too deep, it makes me sad because there are things I would have wanted to share with my mother. But with the passing of years, I got used to it. And I am more than happy that my mother is home now”, she puts across.

Her mother is still in a state of coma, but “I feel that she is also happy to be home as much as we are”, she shares. In her own simple ways, Elizabeth Sandham is trying to spread mother’s love at home, not just on Mother’s Day but every day. “All I want to say is I love my mother (and father) very much”, she expresses.

It has not been the easiest journey for her father, Okenjeet Sandham as he states that “the most painful part is that we can’t communicate with her. She opens her eyes and flinches at the sound of something, but I am not sure if she can see us or not.” However, he recalls with gratitude that “she took care of me in many ways. She is my life partner, mother, sister and everything.” “I also feel she is feeling better at home, there is some kind of brightness in her face”, he relates.

A different Mother’s Day
With Sunday worship services being suspended, this won’t be a typical Mother’s Day. Many churches have the tradition of presenting gifts to mothers as a token of their love and appreciation. Many families also come together for special lunches or dinners on the occasion but with the lockdown in force, everybody will be spending Mother’s Day at home.

However, despite these circumstances, many families are also reuniting on Mother’s Day with most of the children who are away for work and studies coming back home. Khovelu Naroh, an educator says, “I think in a way, this lockdown is bringing every family together with so many students going back to their hometowns.”

“Except for the fact that the married members of the family won’t be able to visit their mothers, at a time like this, I am very grateful that we are alive and more so, in this situation, we are able to spend time with mother”, she states. “We also plan to have a short fellowship at home to celebrate Mother’s Day with mom and sister in law, followed by a special lunch,” she adds.

“There is something special about this Mother’s Day, especially for children who are still under their mothers’ care. This will be one of its kind,” she enunciates.

Senjano Sharon Putsure, who is celebrating her first Mother’s Day amid the pandemic lockdown, says, “Normally, we would go out for dinner on such an occasion but this lockdown has given us the opportunity to learn new skills, especially cooking and baking. My husband has agreed to take over the kitchen on Mother’s Day, which I am pretty thrilled about.”

“My little girl Sarah and I are looking forward to the most wonderful first ever Mother’s Day,” she delightedly adds. Senjano Sharon Putsure has a 6-month-old daughter.

"Mother’s Day has always been a special day for me because I get to celebrate with the woman I look up to and admire the most - my mother," she says.