“It was my mother’s wedding. I had pondered a lot over whether to write such a post. Remarriage is still a taboo for many,” begins Gokul Sreedhar’s Facebook post in Malayalam on Tuesday. The Facebook post by a son remembering his mother’s sacrifices for him, and celebrating the new beginning in her life has gone viral on the network.
23-year-old Gokul, an engineer from Kollam in Kerala was in class 10, when his mother walked out of her unhappy and abusive marriage. His mother who was a teacher, even had to drop out of her job, in her effort to have a fresh start in life.
“She is a woman who kept aside her life for me. In her marriage, which was a tragedy, she has suffered much. When I saw her once with blood oozing out from her forehead after being assaulted, I had asked her why she was still enduring it. I remember what Amma told me then, that she was living for me and she was ready to endure more,” writes Gokul.
Gokul then writes about the time he and his mother finally left their house. “When I left that house holding my mother’s hand, I had vowed that day, that I will make this (her remarriage) happen. My mother who kept aside her youth for me has many dreams to achieve and heights to conquer. I have nothing more to say. I just didn't want to keep this a secret,” he concluded.
Gokul, who is also an SFI leader, later told ManoramaOnline that he had been worried that his mother would be lonely if he moved away for a job. “Though I used to tell her about remarriage, she used to dismiss it. But this alliance came sometime ago through her colleagues. Though initially she did not accept, later she said okay,” Gokul said.
To all the naysayers, Gokul wrote, “Don’t look here with eyes full of suspicion, contempt or hatred, and even if you do, there is no one here who would care.”