With the help of silicone models and photoshop, ma comes to life again

Glittering lehengas, elaborate rituals, and sumptuous food. The wedding of Gujarat-based real estate developer Piyush Patel's twin daughters in February last year had it all. Yet, one absence loomed large: that of their mother Daxaben, who passed away months before the event due to a brain stroke. The void was hard to fill, but Patel was determined to plug it a little.
He decided to commission an artist and give his daughters a surprise they'd remember the rest of their lives: a life-size hyper-realistic silicone model of their mother, adorned in a bright turquoise saree, real gold jewellery, and a warm smile.Seeing it, not just the daughters, but many other guests present cried, he recalls. "It was like she was really there, blessing our daughters," he adds. From photographs to pooja rituals, Daxaben's model marked her presence at the wedding ceremony. It sits in their home even today, with fresh clothes and makeup, for occasions like birthdays, festivals, and more.
MODEL MOM
Vadodara-based artist Vibha Patel, who made the statue, says she gets many requests to make silicone models for people who've lost near and dear ones, but they often back out after getting to know the cost. Such models typically cost around Rs 3-5 lakhs to make. While not everyone can afford a silicone model, people are finding different ways of keeping the memory of their late mothers alive. From rings made from strands of their hair that were preserved for years, to using technology to photoshop them into wedding albums, the modes adopted are many.

FRAMED IN
Noida-based digital artist Divyanshu Garg, who goes by the name @ind_cyborg on Instagram, has received multiple such photoshop requests over the last few months. Earlier this year, he received one such request from Ami Kaur, who is from a Sikh family living in Thailand. Kaur's younger brother got married two years ago, but their mother was alive to only attend the engagement, and then succumbed to cancer. As his second marriage anniversary was approaching, Kaur decided to approach Garg to recreate a photograph of the wedding: one with their mother present in it. It was a surprise not only for her brother, but also their father, she adds. In the 'reaction' video uploaded on Garg's channel, there are plenty of tears and long hugs, as they hold the photo. "For a person who has lost their mother, the grieving period is never over. But this really helps. We got many copies made," Kaur says.
While photoshop technology helped Kaur and her family make their mother a part of a big day, some opt for live paintings of their late moms instead. In a reel that went viral in February, a California-based painter Kim-Vi Tran captured her journey of painting an Indian American bride's late mother into the surroundings. She also added a rainbow behind the late mother, "to remind the couple that she was there, cheering them on," Tran wrote in her caption.

DIFFERENT KEEPSAKE
Some rely on a different kind of technology. Delhi-based artist Preety Maggo started 'Magic of Memories' five years ago, which helps clients preserve a range of remnants - from strands of hair to even drops of blood, umbilical cords, and breastmilk in the form of jewellery. While she has been subjected to online trolling due to the nature of bodily elements involved - which some find 'odd' to preserve -Maggo has stayed the course. She makes jewellery that not only helps children remember their late mothers, but also mothers who've lost their newborns. "I know what it means for people who have only these parts left as memories," she says.
Just last week, Kolkata-based Dipika, herself a mother of two children, reached out to get pendants made with the last remaining strands of hair of her mother. She wanted to keep one for herself, and gift another to her brother, who is getting married later this month. The strands are designed in a manner that spells 'MOM'. Why hair? Dipika says there's a reason behind it. "My mother loved her hair," she says. However, after undergoing a kidney transplant, she had a reaction to some of the medicines prescribed, and started losing her hair, leaving her with no option but to wear scarves. In December, she passed away after battling for her life. Through the pendants, Dipika says she not only wanted to preserve her memory, but also hold on to something that her mother loved a lot. As she waits for the shipments to arrive in order to surprise her brother, she cannot contain her excitement.
As they say, there are as many ways to deal with grief as there are people.