PHOTO: ORCHID CHAKMA

My mother has taught me a lot. But I think the lessons that have moulded me into the person I am today are the ones that were not imparted deliberately. They are the ones I learnt from by trying to make sense of the person that she is. Parts of it still remain a mystery to me. However, the one thing that I am absolutely certain of is her resilience – a quality that she had to adopt rather unfairly and quite early in life. Despite the many constraints that she has had to endure, she extends liberty and support to her children, the kind that she was deprived of. While I am grateful for it, I can’t help but wonder how her life could have turned out had she not been forced to forego so much. - Abir Hossain

If anything beyond concrete and brick makes a house stand, it’s maa . She’s the soul of every wall and each carefully decorated room, alive in her frivolous, wild garden and the beating heart of a home. There’s music to her footsteps, and without it, can any place be called home? - Zara Zubayer

My mother and I are like two pages of a newly bought book, stuck together and tricky to separate. This is an incredible improvement. In my teen years, we were more like the first and last pages of a battered paperback. I am, annoyingly, her sequel: her temper, her generosity, her peculiar laugh that comes early and leaves late, and her courage. She solves crosswords like a blood sport and calculates like the suave anime protagonist whose glasses are so reflective that I don’t see their eyes (which explains why she is in the banking sector). I love my ammu , and seeing her is the best part of my day when I return home after a long day away from her. - Azra Humayra

Sometimes I want to meet the girl you once were—full of dreams, wonder, and energy. Then I came along, and your whole life became me. My dreams became yours, my laughter yours, my pain yours. I know I can never repay you, but I will spend my life trying to do so. Thank you, ammu . - Irfan Hossain

Mother, teacher, prankster, friend – you have so many names in my mind, but my favourite thing to call you will always be “ ammu ”. From the time I was just a baby, nothing else mattered as long as we were inseparable. Love you, ammu . - Sheikh Fabiha Amreen

She believed in me when no one else did, not even I. She is joy embodied in one soul – when she’s away, there is no laughter in my home. My mother has taught me all I know about love and peace. She is my greatest gift. That’s who my mother is. - Elma Tabassum

My mother probably doesn’t realise it, but of all the great things she wants me to be, I only wish to be as wonderful as her. - Afra Anika Nawar Khan

I appreciate my mother for her endless love, patience, and energy in keeping our home together. Her ability to find things I lose in seconds is truly a superpower! I’m grateful for the delicious food and life advice. Life without her would be a mess that I wouldn’t be able to ever fix. - Nabiha Bint Haroon

I don’t see my mother as flawless. Due to conflicting personalities, we’ve often butted heads. But she still suits me in ways I don’t think another person could. A quote from Young Sheldon best expresses how I feel: “There are five billion people on this planet, and you’re the perfect mom for me.” - Tasfiah Liakat

My maa has been my no. 1 supporter, letting me pursue my dreams, never letting me give up. Even though we sometimes disagree on things, at the end of the day, she understands and accepts me for who I am. I love her. - Sabrina Sazzad

As a child, I’d worry endlessly every time she flew for work, counting the moments until she returned. That anxious love taught me how deeply she anchors my world — her feet on the ground meant my heart could rest. - Nuzhat Tahiya

I have a paradoxical relationship with my mother. I think that if I ever had to deconstruct my personality, it would mostly be reduced to fragments shaped by my efforts either to be like her or to be nothing like her. Still, I owe everything to her endless support. Happy Mother’s Day, ammu ! - Fariha Lamisa