International Mother’s Day is being celebrated with zeal and fervour today (Sunday). The day is commemorated to honour mothers every year on the second Sunday of May. Preparations for the celebration have been going on for many days. Shops have set up separate stalls displaying special gifts for mothers and many newspapers are publishing supplements today consisting of compliments by children for their mothers.
Citizen Saba, searching for a gift in a departmental store at Liberty Market, shared her expressions with Pakistan Today saying, “My mother is very special for me and I want to make her day special by presenting her my love and the best gift of the world.” Another girl Hira, 8, was also looking for some chocolates to gift to her mother. The tradition which originated, as wearing a white carnation and writing a letter to express love for one’s mother, has now turned into a big business. Marketers run vast campaigns to draw the attention of customers. Companies, dealing with products which are consumed by the family, advertise their wishes in the print and electronic media on this day.
Umar, a student of Punjab University (PU), called Mother’s Day “A ploy by businessmen to attract buyers”. “The most valuable gift I can present to my mother is my precious time. But the faster world of today wants to escape this duty by celebrating a single day only,” he said. Nouman, a teacher at the PU Institute of Communication Studies, said, “Mother’s Day should be advocated if it is for the sake of mothers only, not for the sake of business. The corporate sector should not be allowed to commercialise emotions like love for parents,” he said adding “Even the lady who campaigned to make Mother’s Day being recognised became the biggest adversary because of corporate involvement.”
Dating back to 1908, the tradition of celebrating a full day for mothers initiated in the US. Now the day is celebrated all over the world and most of the countries celebrate it with the US on the second Sunday of May. Others mark the occasion in February or March.
