They are mothers. At the same time, they are frontline fighters in the ongoing war against coronavirus. While fighting against the invisible foe, these warriors have to keep themselves fully or partially separated from their children lest their dear ones get infected with the virus – this is heart-wrenching, isn’t it?
But these mothers are sacrificing the joy of holding their children for the greater benefits of the nation and its people. With teary eyes, the children also exchange glances and talks with their mothers from a distance as well as via Facebook messenger.
Marking the International Mother’s Day, The Business Post has caught up with some of these warrior mothers to know how they manage both the fronts – home and office.
The selfless doctor
Ayesha Akter is a physician who joined the public service by qualifying in the 29th BCS examination. She is currently working as an assistant registrar at Mughda Medical College Hospital in the capital. It’s been one and a half months since Ayesha -- the mother of two children -- held her kids last. As she is treating Covid-19 patients, she does not stay in close contact with the family members to keep them safe and has been using the room designated for caretaker as her temporary abode on the ground floor of their building.
The kids stay with their grandmother. Yet she ensures that the children are taken care of. She supervises their study over video conference and makes sure that the children are fed at right time. But the inability to hold the kids breaks her down mentally.
Dr Ayesha said she prepared the kids for the worst. 20 days before she completely devoted herself to the treatment of Covid-19 patients, she had been pursuing the kids that she might have to stay away from them. Though eight-year-old daughter Ruhina Mahnoor Atifah pretended to understand her, the little Alman Mashroor did not want to let her go.
Asked about the challenge of a working mother, Dr Ayesha said, “My kids are my only challenge. I am a doctor and a mother. I have a duty to serve the nation. Similarly, I have a great responsibility towards my children.”
Since a working mother cannot allocate time for their children 24/7, it’s a challenge to raise kids by teaching them how to be a nice human being in the first place, she said. “I don’t miss the opportunity to spend the little time I have apart from work with the children.”
“If stays alive after the crisis is over, my children will feel proud that their mother was on the frontline in the fight against Covid-19,” added Dr Ayesha.
All for the daughter
Snigdha Talukder joined public administration via 30th BCS examination. She is currently posted to Bahubal upazila in Habiganj as upazila nirbahi officer (UNO).
Being an active member of the government’s field administration, she remains busy round the clock -- working relentlessly to enforce lockdown, ensure physical distance, distribute relief materials, and so forth. She cannot remember when she slept tension-free since Covid-19 outbreak unfolded in the country. Even there was an instance that she had just gone to bed after a hard day’s work; her phone suddenly rang up as there was no food at the caller’s house. In such situation also, she brought food to the family with the satisfaction that a kid -- like her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Smita Parthibi -- at least did not go to bed unfed.
Asked what precautious measures she takes in handling her daughter during this coronavirus pandemic as she has to go outside every day, Snigdha said she enters the house premise through backdoor and stays at the place designated for security guards for around one and a half hours.
Then she takes a good shower before coming into close contact with her daughter. During this whole time, her daughter talks with her through the window and wants to give her a hug. “I can’t bear the sadness in her eyes as she cannot come close to me,” said an emotional Snigdha.
Thinking about the safety of daughter and the family members, Snigdha’s husband Satyajit Roy Das, who is also a UNO, pays fewer visits. In the absence of busy parents, Snigdha’s mother is taking care of the kid.
Snigdha said she had been facing a challenging time since she became a mother. During her tenure as assistant commissioner (AC-Land), she had to work till late night at home after coming back from work. During day time, she had to conduct mobile courts and perform other administrative duties keeping her little baby at home.
Going down the memory lane, she said her little daughter at one night suddenly started screaming so that she could be allowed to go to the next room and sleep under companionship of her grandmother.
“It moved me much. I decided that I would give time to my daughter,” said Snigdha. And many decisions of her life were later motivated by that stony determination.
As she had to remain busy even during weekends while working at the root-level administration, she moved to Dhaka so she could at least have the weekends with her daughter. Both the husband and wife later moved to UK to pursue a master’s degree under scholarship.
Recalling the memories, Snigdha said it was the best time since both she and her husband at last got some quality time with their daughter.
Against all odds
Mobashera Habib khan, additional deputy commissioner at Dhaka Metropolitan Police, is a successful woman and a proud mother of two children. All of her tiredness and sadness vanish into thin air once she sees the smile of her kids after going back home.
Her life was no bed of roses. When she was one-and-a-half-month pregnant, she sat for BCS examination. She even appeared for master’s final exam when she was eight-month pregnant. But it was not an easy job – taking care of the baby inside and dealing the worldly affairs outside.
A graduate in English from Dhaka University, Mobashera coincidently got the results of both the master’s and BCS examinations the same day.
Asked why she chose police given it is the most challenging profession for women, Mobashera said she did not have any such determination. She gave the credit to her husband Abu Hena Mashukur Rahman of 24th BCS (General Education) batch, who motivated her to appear in the exam. Eventually, she placed eighth in the merit list for police.
During this pandemic, police personnel are discharging duties to ensure safety for million others. Mobashera said she has to respond to the call of duty anytime. Therefore, the children are getting deprived of her company.
It makes her sad when her little daughter sometimes does not come into close contact with her as there is a gap created since she remains busy.
“I want to maintain professionalism to the maximum. In doing so during this pandemic, I sometimes cannot give time to my children,” she said.
“Mothers of other children company their kids to private coaching centres. But I cannot company my son. I know it makes him sad.” But he knows his mother is fighting on the frontline to ensure safety for million other kids, added Mobashera.
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