On Mother's Day, Deepa Bhatia advises moms to empower their children to be assertive, not submissive

New Delhi: "Remember the sequence where Partho feeds his mother? That's been the most emotional scene for me in 'Hawaa Hawaai'," says Deepa Bhatia. And as Deepa, mother of Partho Gupte, recalls one of the most touching moments from 'Hawaa Hawaai', she gets a lump in her throat, her eyes turn moist, explaining the emotional closeness she shares with her son. Deepa, who has also edited 'Hawaa Hawaai', takes a few seconds to recuperate and continues with the interview.

Having conducted several acting, storytelling, drama workshops with husband Amole Gupte in Mumbai with the sole aim to make school authorities and families aware of the concept of inclusive education, Deepa tells why inclusive environment is so important for children. "Both of us are firm believers of inclusive education and it is something we have advocated right from the time of 'Taare Zameen Par'. Whether it is children with physical, emotional or even financial challenges, each one needs to be in an inclusive environment for a healthy society," she replies.

Since Deepa believes and practices the idea of making children irrespective of their differences to study under one umbrella, she has also had Partho study with kids irrespective of their financial differences. And as she tells us the experiencing has been enriching for her son. "I feel he is more enriched, more empathetic due to his exposure. Also the kind of work Amole does, has lead Partho to experiences of various kinds. In fact, even when he was as young as 4-5, Amole was a volunteer at Tulips School for children with differences and Partho along with a few other volunteers' children would actually anchor their annual day each year for 2-3 years. He has been part of whichever Saturday workshop Amole is taking whether at a shelter or in a school. I think it has made him a better person," she explains.

As reports suggest, Partho wants to study direction after he completes his studies, and his mother says, she would be happy to let him take his decisions rather than imposing her thoughts on him. "Yes, he seems to be interested in making films but equally interested in playing the guitar, growing plants and studying zoology! So I leave him to his own decision making and only hope that he grows into a good healthy and sensitive human being," she says. Is there a message she would like to send out to parents who force their opinions and decision on their children? "Amole and I have brought Partho up with democracy...I feel it is best to allow children to have a voice rather than impose your own views on them. That is how my parents brought me up as did Amole's. Let children make their mistakes and learn from them," she adds.

Agreed, worrying, no matter how much one would like to avoid, has become an indispensable element of the job description for a mother. But Deepa offers a rational advice to all the mothers who are invariably worrying about children. "Empower your children to be assertive, not submissive. Empower them to make choices and learn to accept and respect them. We have to treat them as equal in intellect and soul," she states.

When we asked Deepa about the best way to celebrate Mother's Day with son Partho, she said, "Everyday is Mother's Day. Partho is a loving and happy child so I'm grateful for the love!"