The Story of Selflessness, a Mother, and Her Forgotten Melody…
A human being, by nature, lives a selfish life.
But once they step into family life, they slowly become selfless.
In the beginning, we chase after what we want — passionately, tirelessly, achieving goal after goal.
But this equation changes once we become parents.
Slowly, we become selfless. We start losing ourselves.
And in fulfilling those responsibilities, so many parents set aside their own dreams, their identity, and their passions — sacrificing them quietly.
If we were to truly search for the depth of these sacrifices, we’d be left speechless.
Something similar happened in my mother’s life…
She came from a good family — five sisters and one brother.
My grandfather owned ample farmland, and they harvested more than 15–20 sacks of grain every season.
Even though my mother was enrolled in school, she never quite took to academics.
What she truly loved… was getting lost in devotional music.
Instead of school, she began learning harmonium from a local music teacher, Vayal Kaka.
She memorized entire bhajans, mastered the harmonium, and gained recognition.
Eventually, she formed a large bhajan group with 25–30 young women.
Thus began an era of bhajan competitions.
Between 1971 and 1980, their group, Uglewadi Bhajan Mandal, rose to fame as one of the finest in the Ambegaon Taluka.
There is no better medium to worship the Divine than devotional music.
Bhajans are not just songs — they are a spiritual tradition.
Through chants, couplets, abhangs, devotional songs, and gavalans, not just music flows… but so does the cleansing of the soul.
These bhajan mandals have played a huge role in the spiritual, social, and emotional growth of rural communities.
Saints like Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Eknath, Chokhamela, Janabai, and Soyarabai expressed divine experiences through bhajans.
As Sant Tukaram said: “God’s name on the lips, liberation in the hands — there is ample proof of this.”
May every parent be blessed with this spiritual potential.
But…
What happened next?
Marriage.
Once a woman is married, responsibilities begin.
And this path of devotion came to a halt with marriage and family life.
The very thought of spirituality fades amidst household duties.
Perhaps our very social structure is responsible for this.
We don’t know how to respect art, or passion.
If we did, many parents today wouldn’t be lost in the emotional weight of family or the trap of expectations.
They would be free, cheerful, and truly alive, even in old age.
It’s been 40 years since my mother let go of the harmonium and bhajans…
So today, when I gifted her a harmonium, the joy on her face was not just the happiness of receiving something…
It was something more — I wanted to see her reunite with her true self.
The childlike innocence, the divine immersion, the pure connection she once had with music and God… I wanted to witness that once again.
And through this music, through her devotion, may she reach the best version of herself….
This is my selfish prayer to You, O God…As her son.
My prayers are actually manifested …After a year today…I can see her completely Pro in playing harmonium and singing…
Thank you…
Mom.
And the Harmonium.