PK Madhavan's recent post on Daniel brought back memories of Desperate Dan. My first comic strip hero. I can't believe how I could have forgotten him. He was my favourite. The strongest man on Earth, so strong that he had to use a blow-torch to tidy his beard. Thanks to Maddy, as always, my kids now know who Desperate Dan is too J.
At some point in our lives, we all fall for superheroes and some of us never get over it. During Christmas, I met my cousin's friend who was wearing a Superman t-shirt. I joked about it but in all seriousness he said that Superman is his superhero. This chap is 30 years old and I am a bit worried because he wants to marry my cousin!!
That got me thinking about the superheroes that I grew up with. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Ultraman, to name a few. I can also remember their theme songs. My kids have their own version of Spiderman's theme song…. "Spiderman, in the air, I can see, your underwear". There are more superheroes today. They are more sophisticated and the storylines are more complex. All one needs is a super-creative imagination. Power Rangers, PowerPuff Girls, KimPossible, Ben 10 and the list goes on.
Since I have been doing a lot of thinking, I decided to exert my tiny grey matter further by picking a superhero I would root for till my last days. Who am I a die-hard fan for? Well, I loved Superman until Christopher Reeves had the accident. Ironically, he became a 'superman' after that accident in real life. But Superman is just not Superman when it is not Christopher Reeves acting the part. Besides he still has not figured out that underwear should be worn 'under' clothes.
Then there is Iron Man. But I only like Iron Man because I go all putty with Robert Downey Jr. Batman hmmm never did like him much. Wonder Woman .nah! So I ventured into my kids' superheroes ..Power Rangers good grief! Ben 10 is nice but it can be a pain after awhile.
So I asked myself .what is a superhero?? Hmmm .perfect in your eyes, intelligent, strong, tremendous positive willpower, be able to work what seems to be miracles, compassionate, .love personified. A superhero does not have to be a figment of one's imagination. He does not have to be on screen. Then, it suddenly hit me (just like the apple falling on Newton ' Newton, of course, had more to offer to the world with that hitJ). I DO have a superhero. One, who to this day, never ceases to amaze me with all those qualities . my mum.
My mum did not have a very easy young life. She was the eldest of her siblings and looked after them as though they were her children. She started working when she was 18 years old and, today, some 50 years later, she is still working. Everyone she knows whether at a professional level or friends and family respect her and seek her advice for almost everything.
She was widowed when she was 44 but she pulled herself together and was a pillar of strength to my sister and me. She slogged at work and ensured that we had all the comfort in life as if my father was still around. If that were not enough, she would travel out to be with my grandmother and visit her elderly aunts to see if all was well. She still does the same today, forgetting that she is tired and is aging herself.
I broke her heart once but her love for me never faltered, not once. She has stood by me all the way no questions asked and never allows anyone put me down. She goes miles to make everyone happy and spoils my children more than any other grandparent I know. When my daughter was hospitalized, she was there to look after her so that I could attend to work. When I was 8 months pregnant and feeling claustrophobic in a crowded train, she talked to me over the phone and got me through the almost manic state I was in.
There are so many instances where she stood out like an angel and strength of a superhero but it is almost impossible to put it all down on paper. Further, her capacity to love cannot be described and her wit will get anyone tongue-tied.
So, yes, there may be Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Iron Man (aaaahhhhhh .Robert Downey Jr) Power Rangers .but my superhero who beats all the others hands down is me Mum .my Wonder Woman. Going to rush off now to the printers to get t-shirts printed with her face on it J.
Dunno if you recollect the advertisement (I quite forget what product it was for). It showed a little boy trying to sketch his mom for some school project. He follows her around the room with his eyes: preparing food, tidying up things, attending to people and doing a million other things. And when his picture finally shaped up, it showed his mom in the form of a goddess - with a hundred different hands. They don’t make advertisements like that any more. This was a very warm post.
Oh, I had the usual band of superheroes growing up - Superman, Spiderman, Mandrake, Phantom… all of those. Until age and experience brought in the cognition that one need not always be “super” to be a “hero”, that powers and abilities can be cultivated, and that adversity is another name for challenge. I guess there are superheroes all around us, dressed in simple clothes (but with hearts of gold) modestly working away at their quiet miracles, without any return expectation a reward.
Yeah! She has the power to understand us, to make us believe that we can do it, to stand by us when even ur gf is not there…
So like every1 even i like my Mom v much… 
I miss my Grand Mother too.. May God gives peace to her soul…
hats off to a super mom!
a wonderful tribute to your mother Shalini……….truely,the greatest super-hero in my life too:)
that was a great dedication to ur mom- u are indeed blessed with such a nice person in ur life- the super woman of ur life- ur mom too is lucky to have one like u around- most daughters take it for granted as if it is the responsibility of the mothers and forget to acknowledge the sacrifices- Nice to see u this way.
You didn”t quote something from the Holy Bible in this post? Please do. Otherwise you will forget some verses which you have taken to the rote.
Whether or not u get ur mom’’s face printed on a t-shirt, I m sure it is imprinted on ur heart and etched on your soul forever… and that is all that matters Shalini! I m sure u will find the time and the means to express ur love and gratitude for all that ur mom did for u in good time. We sometimes keep making grandiose plans to shower those that we love with the greatest of gifts but somehow never get around to doing it. I hope I”ll be able to do the same for my mom.
definitely my Mom. She is a Superwoman
U bring memories of a lot of things here….firstly kudos to your mom…and i”m sure my superhero and a super-friend too is my mom …the pains she took, the toils she faced, the endless love she exudes to her worthless daughter…the secrets we share, the EVERYTHING….she is undoubtedly my superhero.
Secondly there is a reminiscence of Man and Superman in the first part as well.
Hey Great post. We can never stop admiring the superheroes. I guess we can never stop admiring our mom and dad too ever for all the love they showered on us and the role models they had been:))
Wow! Did I miss this. Moms, they are awesome. My superhero is dad. You are really up to date on the new super heroes. I didnt like superman, spiderman, ironman etc as much as i did phantom, tarzan, tintin etc.
hay
Very sweet……………………………………………………………..
super heros helps u to uplift
wow such a sweet post…moms are alwys the best…though my superhero is my dad although not with me any longer yet has been a strong pillar of support always…always cherish him in my thoughts and memories
maa….nothing in the world can be more loving! beautiful write up once again….
I go with you Shalini. My superman also is my MOM. I hope you read my blogs on my mother - her life story.
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Three cheers to your mom!! what a simple yet beautiful write up…wonders of the wonderful people…loved it much !!
Dear Shalini,
Yes!!! My Superhero was my Father!!! But he became my superhero after he expired a year ago and i felt his absence from the day one after his expiry.
I never respected him, could not get along with him since my childhood due to his some dominant nature and got separated from him 3 years after my marriage, but he still stood by me and my family every second of the day, which i realized only after he left me. His doings for my betterment are long and listless.
And I know, you get parents only once in your life. You can get everything in your life once again but not parents and on his first birth anniversary i proudly say that My dad is still a Super Man for me.
am sorry for the mistake - It is on his first death anniversary on 22nd February, 2009 i proudly say that My dad is still a Super Man for me.
yes there r many superhero now days…..but i like mahatma gandhi….i like different different quality from different people…
My superheroes have changed with time, as none is flawless. Some of the persons I adored earlier, became just ordinary human beings when their limitations came into light. One man whom I considered perfect in all respect, was found on the side of wrongdoers due to their overall influence and lacked courage to speak for the downtrodden. However, you definitely seem to have found your superwoman, Shalini. Wish you all the best.
around six months back i was viewing a reality show-who can become a superhero[most probably was the title].Mr.Lee,the creator of superman,was the judge,who had to select a superman from alist of candidates over a few weeks.it was an amazing programme.ordinery men and women,were trying to become a super hero,by development of some basic human values.i still remember one statement of Mr.Lee- a super hero must be compassionate to his fellow human beings.he can not bypass them if they are in trouble and have to reach out to them.this is the primary quality that makes a super hero.—–all our known super hero characters from cartoons conforms to that.
all of us ,in our life have met one or more such super heros.
In al your posts I notice a glimps to your famly roots and your nostaligia associated with it. Gradullay a picture is formed in my mind about you which is of a person who is taken away from the root by quirk of destiny and in the middle of contrasting cultures. I don”t know how the exact reasons for my belief.. but I see some efforts to be flashy in your writings.
Any how, I always end up reading your posts.
superheroes? i too grew up with them all around me- quite virtually if not literally…I likes Spiderman and heman……Robert Downey Jr id indeed a hunk-but for his drug use.try George clooney or collin farrel for a change.let they sweep you off your heels, babe…having grown up i have no super heroes, world has disillusioned me far to have one….
very nice post….for me superhero means who change ur life in a good way
Nice post ! Yes ! In everyones life there would be one super man or woman! In my case it is my wife!..she is the ”catalyst” in our family and an inspiration as to how to be positive and expect nothing ..excells in her career , compassionate and a wondeful mix of traditional values and modern out look !
mine is Moahanchand karamchand gandhi,
For me it is still my Dad only! He was loving, he was scary, He could solve every small or big doubt I could conceive! So far spiderman or any such man my idea is every one is child some where. I was not a child even at my childhood for this matter! May be I have missed some genuine pleasure in the process!
Phantom and Diana for me anyday!
Hi Shali…a warm tribute indeed and well-written too…the one who loves us unconditionally are our superheoroes.The sad thing is that we realize it often a bit too late….To me it was my father (I had put post titled ”Letter of recommendation”)…PGR
mine is Wolverine of the X-Men! U go mushy over Robert Downey Jr., have u seen him in Only You with Marisa Tomei? He’’s adorable there. Sad that he’’s been doped. Good post, had a nice read! :))