Celebrity mothers and daughters on their special kind of bond

Mom. The inspiration and guide who shows the way forward to her daughter, often encouraging her to fly high and soar on wings of talent. She has been there, not just for your firsts (think first step, first word, first day of school...) but nearly everything else too (especially the bad days). While the bond a mother shares with her child is boundless, the mother-daughter relationship is especially wonderful. However, with most of us caught up in a whirlwind of activities that starts Monday morning and ends on Sunday night, only for it to begin all over again, time slips by as we rush to complete tasks often at the cost of much-needed time with the family.

In connection with Mother’s Day tomorrow, MetroPlus draws inspiration from these enterprising mothers and daughters, many of them working in the same profession, on how they find time for each other

Sowbhagya Venkitesh and Thara Kalyan

Danseuses

Sowbhagya

My mom was strict when I was a child; I think she was afraid I would turn out spoilt. We turned fast friends when I entered my teens. I began doing Dubsmash videos with mom as a way to cheer her up when she was feeling low. Soon, Dubsmash became a shared interest. We never expected our videos to become viral. I guess viewers liked watching the palpable bond we share. Although it may seem that we have practised and planned the video in advance, it is not so. Everything is impromptu. As for our coordinated outfits in the video, when my father, Rajaram, was alive, the family would always end up wearing clothes in the similar shade of colour. It was never planned; just a coincidence. When my father passed away, my mom and I, however, consciously decided to shop for the same kind of clothes. We now wear similar outfits when we step out of home.

Thara

Sowbhagya was closer to her grandparents when she was young as I was often tied up with work. She would be asleep by the time I got home. We gradually built our friendship when she entered her teens. These days, she acts more like a mom, and me, a spoilt child. Even though we tend to spend the whole day together at our dance classes, we still find something new to discuss. Sowbhagya loves us dressing alike and so we tend to pick up two of each outfit whenever we go shopping for clothes. Wearing similar outfits has now become our signature look. As for the Dubsmash videos, I enjoy doing them with her.

Charu Hariharan and B. Arundhathi   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Charu Hariharan and B. Arundhathi

Musicians and singers

Charu

My mom is more of a bestie than a mother. Mom is the one who inspired me to take up music. As a child, she would bring me to most of her concerts. She never insisted I follow her footsteps, instead she encouraged me to carve my own path. Apart from a shared love for music, we are both shopaholics who enjoy going on shopping sprees together. As both of us are caught up with work these days, late night, when the rest of the household is asleep is when we catch up with each other. We make cups of hot chai, relax, and yap till late into the night.

Arundhathi

I used to take Charu with me for nearly all my concerts when she was a child. While I was delighted she had a fine ear for music, I never imposed my love for it on her. Although I was busy with my music career I placed my family first and was a hands-on mom. Charu is busy with her own work these days and I miss her when she is on her travels. We stay connected by phone though. As she and I share similar interests, we can spend endless hours at end together.

Poornima Indrajith with her daughters, Prarthana and Nakshathra   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Poornima Indrajith and Prarthana Indrajith

Actor and fashion designer; student

Poornima

Quality and not quantity is what is important when it comes to spending time with your children. It’s not enough that one is with the kids, one has to BE with the kids. That means, really spending time, listening to them and getting to know them. Although work keeps me busy, I make time for them in the evenings. As there is an age gap between my girls, Prarthana and Nakshathra, their taste in activities differ. Prarthana, the elder, is into music and so I spend time discussing music with her. As Nakshathra enjoys arts and crafts and physical activities, we walk our dog together or play in the park. She likes designing so I got her a handheld sewing machine and she stitches clothes for our pet. As the three of us share a love for road trips, we plan them often, with Prarthana being in charge of the playlist.

Prarthana

It’s amazing how mom finds time for us despite her hectic work hours. Once she is back from work, the hours are spent catching up with our day. We are into board games, so we usually have daily game nights. Mom ensures she spends time with us together and individually. Hanging out with her anytime and anywhere is fun.

Sheila James with her mother, Annamma Baby John, daughter, Shalini James and grand daughter, Shreya   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Sheila James and Shalini James

Fashion designers

Sheila James

I believe moms and daughters, at any age, should have time specifically set aside to have fun together, listen to each other and get to know each other. My children were in school when I first started my business. I used to wait till school was over to pick the kids up and have my lunch. The rest of the day was spent discussing their day at school, helping them with their school work et al. Although I am close to my son, the bond I share with my daughters is stronger. As Shalini and I are both in the same field, we find that fashion is often our topic of discussion. I look forward to our shared worktrips as I get to spend time with her.

Shalini James

Mom and I share a lot of similar interests. After class 10, I recall spending hours at her studio. That is how I developed a taste in fashion. She’s liberal and independent and that’s what I have learnt from her. We try to plan our worktrips together so that we can mix business with pleasure.

My daughter, Shreya shares my love for fashion too. While watching Bollywood films, it’s the styling in clothes that we pay heed to, the storyline is secondary. Shreya and I have been learning Kuchipudi together for the past 10 years. That I would say, is my favourite pastime with her.

Kapila Venu and Nirmala Panikker   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Kapila Venu and Nirmala Paniker

Danseuses

Kapila

My mom is not the conventional mom. She is not the kind who believes that being a woman and mother means looking after the household. As my father, G. Venu, was posted elsewhere, I grew up mostly with mom. She taught me to be strong and independent. She also inculcated in me the love for dance. My favourite memories of mom are of us at the fire place in our home in Ooty, sharing stories.

Nirmala

I was busy with my dance when Kapila was a child. Although I took her along for my dance classes and performances, I was never really there for her. She was a rather lazy student when it came to dance and I kept pushing her as I knew she had the talent. I guess the time we sort of bonded was in the evenings when we would gather around the fire in Ooty. There was a stream nearby and we would go there and let the water play with our feet. Now that my work does not eat up my time, I have more time for her. We now chat over inane stuff and spend time playing with my grandchild.