The relationship between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law is one that has always been shrouded in stereotypical misconceptions. People assume that the wife and the mother of the man can never see eye to eye. But this Woman’s Day we take a look at five inspiring mother and daughter-in-law duos who redefined the conventional relationship and broke all misconceptions about it! From encouraging each other to follow their passion to standing up for the other’s rights, these women have proved that behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women, who have their back. #WomenForWomen
1. The Begums
The royal ladies – Sharmila Tagore and Kareena Kapoor Khan – are undoubtedly an endearing duo and an inspiration for all the saas-bahus out there. They are always all praises for each other and have broken all the stereotypical conventions people have about the relationship between a mother and her daughter in law. Apart from wearing Sharmila’s wedding lehenga on her wedding day, Kareena has also gone on record on several occasions to talk about how much she adores and respects her. Here is one quote which really touched us:
“For me, my mother in law will always be the eternal begum, a career-oriented woman who started a family, who ran the house, looked after three children but yet worked in the biggest commercial successes as well as some great serious cinema. She kind of always tried to balance everything. To me she still is and still looks super gorgeous. Right from the beginning till now, I can’t take my eyes off her. I look up to her in every way, so for me she will always be that.”
That’s just so beautiful, right? But Bebo is not the only one who’s all praises for her MIL. Even Sharmila has always adored her bahu. When Kareena was pregnant, Sharmila once talked about how she’s really happy about the way Bebo is handling her pregnancy. Here’s what she said:
“Kareena has been so lovely. She has carried her pregnancy effortlessly and gracefully. She is enjoying every moment of her pregnancy. She is dressing up, going out and being so natural and beautiful about it.”
They’re love, literally!
2. The Bachchan Bahus
Another celeb saas-bahu duo that we completely adore (and who completely adore each other) are Aishwarya Rai and Jaya Bachchan. Although they haven’t really talked about each other in public on many occasions, their gestures are enough proof of the beautiful bond they share. They were recently seen sharing a sweet moment when Aishwarya kept her head on Jaya’s shoulder, just like she would do with her own mom.
The Bachchan ladies also shared a beautiful saree once, a magenta outfit that Jaya once wore to an awards functions and later passed on to Aish to don at a durga puja celebration. It was so endearing to watch. Jaya also once talked about how she’s very happy with Aishwarya’s parenting skills. Well, they may not talk about their bond much, but it’s clear that the ladies always have each other’s back.
3. The Pampering Mom-In-Law
Most of you TV show buffs might remember Neha Marda, a beautiful actress who played the role of Gehna in the Colors show Balika Vadhu. Well, it might come as a surprise to some, but Neha is a happily married woman since 2012. She got married to Ayushman, a Patna-based businessman 6 years back. But what’s special about her marriage is the special bond she shares with her mother-in-law.
Her MIL totally adores her and showers her with precious gifts on every wedding anniversary and festivals. But that’s not it! Neha once talked about how amazing her MIL is in an interview, where she said:
“My mother-in-law wants me to be independent. She thinks getting married and being a housewife is not the be-and-endall of a woman’s life. She must do something creative.”
She also went on to say that her mom-in-law was the one who urged her to get back to acting after a two-year hiatus from work. Now, that’s awesome, isn’t it?
4. The Power Duo
When Ruchi Jha decided to move out of her corporate job and put her entrepreneurial skills to test, she knew what she wanted to do. And as for a co-founder, she did not have to look beyond her mother-in-law, Renuka Kumari. We have seen loads of moms and daughters starting a business together, but this is something unique.
Ruchi wanted to preserve and adapt the ancient art form of Madhubani (aka Mithila) paintings and came up with the idea of iMithila, an organisation that adapted the art form onto apparel and other everyday use items like clocks, purses and the likes. Her mom-in-law, who is a retired Botany professor was an ideal choice for the position of a co-founder, and Ruchi explains why:
“My mother-in-law hails from Darbhanga, the heartland of Madhubani art. A retired professor of Botany, she is passionate about the art form just like me. So, she was the perfect choice to co-found iMithila.”
Together, along with a team of 10 in Noida and Delhi and 40 artisans in Darbhanga, Ruchi and Renuka have turned iMithila into a successful venture and they’re constantly growing. Such inspiration!
5. The MIL Who Did Exactly What A Mother Would Do… Maybe More!
Who said a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law only pull each other down? In an inspiring case of solidarity, a woman from Bangalore did something for her daughter-in-law that only a really strong and ethical woman would. She deposed her son in a court of law, and helped her DIL get an alimony of over four crores.
The petitioner told the court that her husband had married her unwillingly only to respect his late father’s wishes and had been in an extra marital affair. When she confronted him, he turned violent towards her. They had been living separately for over four and a half years and were thus eligible for divorce.
According to a report in a leading daily, the man’s mother said in an interview:
“Devanand (her son) has vast extent of lands, drives a Mercedes Benz SUV costing more than a crore, owns quarry business and is therefore well off. Without performing his marital obligations, he deserted his wife.”
Eventually, their divorce was finalised and the woman got an alimony of over 4 crores from her deserted husband. Well, this saas-bahu duo is an example of the kind of solidarity we hope all women have with each other!
These were some really inspiring and touching stories of mother and daughter-in-laws who share a great bond and show us just how healthy a relationship between two ladies can be.
