She Taught Me Numbers, and Life – My Forever Teacher, My Maa.”

Sandhya Dhingra – The Mother Who Multiplied Strength and Subtracted Struggles

From the very first day I walked into school, I had two roles to play — a student, and a son. Not many children get to be taught by their own mother from Grade 1 all the way through Grade 12. But I had that rare and beautiful privilege. My mother, Sandhya Dhingra, was not just my Math teacher, she was — and still is — the one who taught me the equation of life.

A single mother of two, she balanced her chalk-stained hands and home-worn heart with such silent dignity, most people never saw the storms she walked through to keep our sky clear. Every morning, she’d get us ready, cook our meals, help with homework, rush to school — only to enter a classroom and be a calm, smiling teacher to 40 more children who also called her “Ma’am.”

But to me, she was more. She was Maa, my protector, my guide, my rock.

She never complained. She never paused. She just did. Whether it was cooking for us after a long day of teaching, staying up during our exams, or standing by us like a warrior during the hardest days — her love was unconditional, unshaken, and infinite.

Even when I graduated and started working, it was her voice echoing in my decisions. “Be independent, Nitin,” she’d say. And I tried — because she made me believe I could. Her courage became my compass.

Today, she’s retired. After years of service, both as a teacher and a mother, she finally takes moments for herself — sipping tea by the window, gardening with joy, or watching her favourite TV shows. She still smiles when I call her with a problem — still ready to help, still ready to guide, never too far away.

My mother is living proof that you can raise a family, shape young minds, and survive every storm with grace, grit, and great love. She is my hero in a cotton saree, and her life is the most beautiful story I will ever tell.

This Mother’s Day, I celebrate the woman who balanced blackboards and bedtime stories, who gave me not just life, but the courage to live it well.

Thank you, Maa. You’re the reason I count my blessings — and I know how to count at all.