My Career Is My Mom's Cup of Tea On this Women's Day, I find myself without the most important woman in my life. My mother left us on January 21st of this year, and the world has felt differently weighted ever since. Tomorrow, as the world honors women everywhere, I want to honor just one — quietly, personally, with the full weight of everything she meant to me. In 1991, I was fighting for an engineering seat against some of the most brutal competition India has to offer. I was never the most talented in the room — but I was relentless, and she made sure I stayed that way. Night after night, when I would push through until the early hours, she would appear at exactly the right moment - just when I was about to fall asleep — not because of an alarm, but because she simply knew — with a cup of tea, with her presence, with words that kept me going When I finally fell asleep, she would quietly put my books in order, as if preparing the battlefield for the next day's fight. That was the kind of love she gave — precise, selfless, and always on time. The career that followed was built on a foundation she laid in those quiet pre-dawn hours. Every moment I have chosen service over comfort — that was her. I was on a flight to say goodbye on January 21st, and I didn't make it in time. But I've come to understand that with a love like hers, the goodbye was never really the point. The point was every cup of tea. Every book she placed back in order. Every morning, she made it possible. Happy Women's Day, Maa. The most important woman in my life — then, now, and always. Your's always - Raju
Vibhu Pratap your Mom’s penance did not go in vain. You’re a true testament to her belief in your ability to rise above challenges and keep on soaring higher. Continue to draw on her inspiration and you will see that she’s still the wind beneath your wings. From all of your stories of her, she was a remarkable individual, like all mothers, women. Celebrate her everyday by driving more success for yourself and those around you. 🙏
Very touching Vibhu Pratap, had numerous such cup of teas at odd hours. A time came later in life when I started to make the afternoon tea, which two of us would sip and bond over it. Truly miss those moments, those cups of tea have gone with her.
Thank you for sharing Vibhu Pratap. I lost my mom very early in my life (while in school), and the only way I’ve been able to come to terms with it is by believing she’s not truly gone—she still guides me every day. In many ways, she still does. So perhaps just notice that she’s there with you each morning during your tea.
Thanks for sharing her story. Her blessings will always be there with you like she was during those nights of your exams' preparation
Simply beautiful Vibhu Pratap 🙏
Very nicely written Vibhu Ji
Vibhu what a powerful tribute for your mom. Mothers build foundations we build the buildings of our lives on. May her blessings always stay with you.
🙏 Vibhu, no other bond like a mother’s. I remember spending couple of hours with her purchasing Paithani saree and treating her with Maharashtrian food when she was visiting Pune many years ago 🙏
Very saddened to hear about aunty, Vibhu 😢 My heartfelt condolences.
Sorry for your loss Vibhu. When we lose mom, it feels like a part of you is lost forever and the that hole in life stays with you no matter the age. Saying goodbye is tough and missing it has inexplicable effect. But somehow, they never leave us fully. They stay with us in the form of the good habits they made us form as you said (choosing service over comfort), and the traits we pick up from them unknowingly.