People may think, that everything is all right at home, because menfolk are able to go to office in time and children are regular at school. When they return home in the afternoon, they find pleasant life again. All this is possible because of the care and sweat which my mother is able to bestow on the smooth running of the household affairs. This is almost true of all homes. Now let us look into a day in the life of my mother. She gets up quite early in the morning. She attends to the cleaning of the house. By that time the bread-van arrives. She receives the bread and starts the cooker for morning coffee. While water is boiling, she may attend to small duties. Young ones are to be attended to after their toilet. Now the water hisses in the kettle and she prepares coffee. Children are given horlicks or ovaltine. Elders are given their cups of coffee. There may be comments from the elders and cries from the children. For all these my mother stays calm. She moves about with a philosophic attitude. Then she prepares the breakfast. At the same time, she attends to washing of clothes and bathing of children. In between she will be attending to the vegetable vendors or giving directions to the maid-servant. Now it will be time for breakfast and it is always an ordeal for her to serve the breakfast in the midst of noise raised by children. Then children dress up for school. Even then, my mother will have to attend to them. Every day some scene will be enacted at that time and she goes about taking them as a routine matter. Once the elders have left for office, mother breathes a sigh of relief. Now she can