The phrase mother daughter reunion took on a much deeper meaning for me this Mother’s Day. As I reflected on moments from my life, one memory stood out vividly—an incident from over fifty years ago involving a precious First Day Cover and a surprising discovery.

In a chapter I once wrote about the post office, I shared how my brother bought a First Day Cover (FDC) honoring “Nehru.” I remembered it as a tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. My brother, always resourceful, later carried it to Parliament and managed to get the autograph of Indira Gandhi—then the Prime Minister and daughter of Nehru—on that very cover. It felt like a symbolic connection between father and daughter.

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But this Mother’s Day, my brother sent me an image of the FDC, and I realized my memory was slightly off. The cover wasn’t in honor of Jawaharlal Nehru at all—it was a tribute to Kamala Nehru, his wife and the mother of Indira Gandhi. That meant the autograph on the FDC wasn’t just a historical keepsake; it was, in spirit, a mother daughter reunion captured on paper—Kamala Nehru honored, her daughter Indira Gandhi signing in tribute.

This realization filled me with a quiet joy. The FDC had always been a treasured item in my brother’s collection, but now it held an even more poignant meaning. On a day when we celebrate mothers everywhere, discovering that this cherished memento was tied to a mother and daughter made the moment even more special.

Some memories may blur over time, but sometimes they return sharper and sweeter than before. For me, this unexpected mother daughter reunion will always be one of them.

Srini – 11 May 2015