As the world celebrates Mother's Day 2022 on May 8, here's a look at some of the best messages and wishes by Indian sports stars over the years.
Mother's love is the purest form of love. Nothing comes close to it. She is the fountain of life itself. To celebrate her unconditional love, the second Sunday in May is observed as Mother's Day. No celebration will be enough to honour a mother's love though. Having said that, every child does his or her bit to acknowledge the sacrifices made by their mothers. (More Sports News)
On the occasion of Mother's Day 2022, here's a look at some of the best wishes shared by sports stars:
In an interview with Outlook in 2020, former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh said that his mother, Shabnam, has given him birth twice -- "first, obviously when I was born and second, when I went through cancer. She never showed any emotion. She was always strong for me, and she really helped me through my journey."
Here's what Yuvraj Singh tweeted on Sunday:
His contemporary and former India captain Virat Kohli often talked about his mother, Saroj. Regarded as one of the all-time batting greats, Kohli credited his mother for "being my strongest support system". Kohli lost his father before making his India debut.
Another lovely message from Virat Kohli to his mother:
Sachin Tendulkar, arguably the greatest batter and the only one to have a century of international centuries, lovingly addresses his mother Rajni as 'Aai'. On the day of his retirement, Tendulkar had said "for a mother, the most important thing is that her child remains safe and healthy and fit. That was what she was most bothered and worried about. She took care of me for the last 24 years that I have played for India, but even before that, she started praying for me the day I started playing cricket."
Tendulkar on Sunday shared a photo of his 'Aai' and wrote: "We may have a thousand worries in the world, but our mother’s main worry will still remain whether we’ve had food on time. Such is a mother’s love!"
Indian cricketers sported their mothers' names on their jerseys during the fifth ODI against visiting New Zealand in 2016. At the toss, the then captain MS Dhoni said, "Mother's contribution is as important as a soldier's."
Badminton queen, PV Sindhu once said that she is "very lucky" to have "sportspersons as parents because they understand. They have experienced for so many years what a defeat feels like." Both her parents were former volleyball players. Her father PV Ramana was part of the Indian team that won bronze at the 1986 Asian Games, while her mother Vijaya was a national-level volleyball player.
In 2022, Virender Sehwag shared an interesting story of how Indian fans would invoke his mother's name while he was batting. The former India opener had said, "Even while I was batting, people in their rooms watching the match used to say, 'Sehwag ki maa ka phone aaya, Viru sakka mar de (Sehwag's mother has called, Viru will hit a six)'."
Afghan spin wizard Rashid Khan, who's currently in India for IPL 2022, wrote a heartfelt message for his departed mother. "Remembering you is easy, I do it everyday, but missing you is heartache that never goes away".
It's a relatively new idea to celebrate Mother's Day on a particular day in India. But like in every other culture, Indians too have always given special importance to mothers and, the roles they play in the family and in the society. This reality is reinforced by the fact that all the female divinity in the country has a suffix or prefix of 'Maa' or 'Mata'. Also, the earth and the country are revered as mothers.
The present-day practice of celebrating Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May started in 1907 in America, and is credited to Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis for coming up with the idea. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson, the then President of the United States, made it a national holiday.