This Mother’s Day, get ready to see your kitchen all messed up. We’re not frightening you, but after reading this article you will yourself want to see your cooking area go chaotic.

Yesterday our day started at a local vegetable market. We quickly bought few green veggies, breads, mayonnaise and mustard sauce, pickles, etc. No, we didn’t cook at our office; instead we took this to Delhi Public School, Vidhyadhar Nagar. Since the school was commemorating Mother’s Day before closing down for holidays, Team JWB decided to add up to their celebration. We took 10 tiny-miny kids from grade 1 to 4, and asked them to prepare lunch for their working mommies! With this, our idea was to celebrate and pay gratitude to every working woman who is also a full-time mother. Thanks to Nayaab Jewels for supporting the campaign!

This activity is an extension of our on-going campaign ‘Business Lullabies’ where we are talking about the difficulties and stereotypes working mothers have to face after pregnancy. As a token of love and appreciation, we helped these kids send surprise lunch-boxes to their respective mother’s workplaces. Excited to know what happened next?

Our team, along with the help of DPS staff, pulled 5 tables quickly in a row and placed our bought stuff on it. Nayaab Jewels had sent greeting cards for the kids so that they could write short love-notes to their moms that were to be delivered along with the lunch.

First the kids decided what they want to prepare for their moms. They had choices like salad, bread sandwich, biscuit sandwich, pita bread and hotdog. While some chose to make only one dish, others chose all three items!

We distributed packets of fresh breads and buns among them along with the spreads and already chopped veggies. (We didn’t let them use the sharp knives).

And look at the enthusiasm with which each one of them started their kitchen work!

‘I want to spread butter on the bread and not mayonnaise’, said the little Diva. That’s her actual name, by the way.

‘I will put lots of lettuce inside the sandwich. My mum likes it that way’, said the smart Myra.

‘I will just fill the hotdog with salad . It’s easy to make’, said the shy Namish.

Our team along with the hardworking female teachers of the DPS began our work, with wheels on our feet and smiles on our faces.

JWB’s Priyanka Saini on work!

Simultaneously, we kept witnessing some incidents that are still tickling our funny bones. We were able to catch few of them on camera too, have a look:

Caught photo bombing:

Caught asking the recipe:

Caught stealing the recipe from the packed food and from the fellow mate’s platter:

Caught licking the mayonnaise:

One more:

Caught mouth-watering:Caught mouth-watering when looking at someone else’s mom’s lunch:

Oh, the list is long.

In just half an hour, the kids managed to prepare at least two/three lunch boxes each. Let us now see how they packed them! The covers had Nayaab’s beautiful ruby ring and ruby-stylized turnips printed on them. Lookalikes? We call this artwork!

Grasping from one another, the children managed to pack the boxes neatly. Okay, not so neatly.

Later they put their ‘Nayaab’ lunch boxes in paper bags.   Phew, mission was accomplished!

We didn’t forget to remind them about the greeting cards so that they could read lovely notes to their mommies. Everyone wrote his/her name on the card so that we wouldn’t mix their letters. How cute is that!

At last, the cards were also put in their respective bags.

And you know what; we had to switch off the canteen’s fans during the event in order to keep the breads soft. Later the participating kiddos told us how difficult it was for them to prepare meals in a hot setting. We explained to them: ‘This is how your mumma cooks every day for you. There is no fan in the kitchen, and she gets sweaty while doing so. So from today onwards, don’t forget to thank her. Alright?’ They said in chorus – ‘Yes.’

Finally, our mission was accomplished too. And we hope that we managed to deliver not only lunch boxes but important message to each working mother: “You are doing great, and your kid appreciates you as you are. You are enough for him or her. Your time is enough. Your efforts are enough. So, do stop feeling the self-guilt”

Want to know how their mothers reacted on receiving the lunch? Wait till tomorrow!!!

Photographer: Shashank K Tyagi