(Original posted on Quora, Jan 2015)

Describing a small incidence.

Something happens at work. I am having hard time coping up with it causing a disturbed state of mind. But having spend many years in professional world, like most of us, I have also learned to conceal my emotions, state of mind from outside world. We train ourselves not to show it up on our face, in our expressions, body language etc.

So I continue with my office day as usual, taking care of work, meetings, some usual time pass, chatting with colleagues.

I get back home, laughters with room mates, eating out etc and everything is perfectly normal, except that background thread of thoughts causing disturbance in mind continues.

I call my close friends who works in different city, may be to catch up, may be because I remember our good old college days when we used to share everything – ‘no concealing emotions’ business back then. We just talk about some regular stuff.

I call my other friends to go catch a movie – an attempt to relax myself a bit. We enjoy movie, we all have good time. I get back home and sleep.

Next day morning, office issue thoughts have disappeared from my mind. At least I think so. Just when I am getting ready, I get a call from home(which is 1500kms away) for some reason.

I : Hello Mom (of course, my emotions conceal skills are at work.)
Mom : …. (some unusual pause) what happened beta(son)? Is everything normal ?

And I go dumbfounded. I mean how is it just possible! My colleagues couldn’t guess. Room mates, close friends also couldn’t know any difference either. How on earth she gets EVERYTHING from that hello? that too from 1500kms away!

And the story repeats infinite times over the years. Places change – school, college, office etc. Problems change – be it flunking exams, fights, crush on a girl and not knowing how to handle, office miscommunication etc. But the story remains same. Never in my life I have seen such a highly sophisticated emotions/mental state deciphering instrument.

Indian mother knows and understands her child much more than the child understands him/herself.