Anand Mahindra gets teary eyed over Smriti Irani's 'you're raising someone to forget you' take on motherhood: Watch video

Industrialist Anand Mahindra penned an emotional note for BJP leader Smriti Irani after her speech on motherhood, saying her words had moved not only women in the audience but many men, including him. Recalling his own mother's unwavering love and support, Mahindra said he continues to draw strength from her memory every day. He also expressed confidence that Irani's son would one day cherish her "tenacity" and unconditional love in the same way.

What did Anand Mahindra say in his post?

It’s not just some women in that room, you made many men teary-eyed.

@smritiirani


, including me.
The pain & pleasure of being a mother.
So powerfully & emotionally articulated.
I have only one point of dissonance:
I adored & cared for my mother till her last breath.
Because I had immense gratitude for what you termed the ‘tenacity’ of her love.
Even in my lowest periods she made me feel like I could move mountains.
Not a day goes by when I don’t derive strength from her memory.
Your son will be no different, I’m sure.

What was the video about?

Former Union minister and actor Smriti Irani opened up about motherhood, the challenges of being a working mother and the bittersweet reality of watching children grow up and become independent. Speaking at an event, the 50-year-old reflected on balancing a demanding career in acting and politics while raising three children.

The video has since gone viral, garnering over 124,000 views on X.

Asked how she managed work and motherhood simultaneously, Irani turned to the working mothers in the audience and said those years often pass in a blur because they are consumed by the constant demands of family and work.

"They needed to get the job done. That they needed to feed their kid. That they needed to make sure that the homework was done, that they needed to make sure that their PPT was equally ready. That they did not sleep many nights," she said.

She also joked about how quickly children grow up, recalling the transition from changing diapers to handling teenagers.

"How many of you wondering that I was just cleaning the nappy and now this person is talking back to me?" Irani said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Irani said motherhood is about preparing children to become independent, even though that process can be emotionally difficult for parents.

"So that's what it feels like to be a mom. It's a job which is well done only when the kid doesn't need you anymore. And that is the most heartbreaking thing," she said.

She added that children often realise the value of their mothers only much later in life.

"The daughter will remember only when she has a kid," she said, adding that sons may also come to understand their mothers' sacrifices with time.

Calling it the "tragic beauty" of motherhood, she said, "You're raising someone to let them go. You're raising someone to forget you. You're raising someone who will never need you again."

Reflecting on what remains after children become independent, Irani said mothers are often left with memories rather than daily responsibilities.

"And all you'll be left with is a photograph, a memory, a text. That is what you're raising. You've spent half your life so that you can be forgotten in the other half," she said.

Irani then linked motherhood to entrepreneurship and investing, arguing that women are often labelled as "too emotional," even though those emotions make them more resilient and determined.

"Can you compute an economic value to that?" she asked, pointing out that several women in the audience had become emotional.

She said emotion should never be mistaken for weakness, especially in business.

"But they don't realise that it is that emotion that makes us honest enough to pay back. It is that emotion that makes us work harder, push back stronger, come back faster," she said.

Concluding her address, Irani highlighted the resilience that comes with motherhood and womanhood.

"And the day somebody realises that and invests in your enterprise, that's a smart investor because money can buy anything. It can never buy a woman's tenacity. It can never buy a mother's love," Irani said.

Smriti Irani, who is married to Mumbai-based businessman Zubin Irani, has three children—Zohr, Zoish and her stepdaughter Shanelle. She is currently reprising the role of Tulsi in Ektaa Kapoor's Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.