The second Sunday of the month of May is celebrated globally as International mother’s day. Anna Jarvis an American activist in the early 20th century was instrumental in proposing the idea of a world mother’s day as recognition of the invaluable role played by mothers across the world in nurturing and bringing up the children of this world.

However, the UN-sanctioned mother’s day celebration is often scoffed at as a western imposition by many in India. Is there a mother’s day in India that is part and parcel of the country’s culture? According to Dr Ashok Rana, the celebration of ‘Jivati Amavasya’ in rural India can be considered India’s own mother’s day.

Jivati is a goddess who is said to protect a newborn child and is worshipped as Jivati or Jivantika in Maharashtra. In rural Maharashtra women observe a ‘vrat’ or a penance rite on every Friday of the Hindu lunar Shravan month where they draw a picture of deity Jivati on the wall with sandalwood and worship her. Along with this rite, there is the tradition of inviting a married woman with their children for lunch. The menu would include ‘puran poli’ and various other Maharashtrian delicacies. The mother of the household would perform this pooja for the long and healthy life of her children. At the conclusion of the rite, women would narrate the story of Jivati.

The following story is part of the ‘Jivantika vrata’.