Mother-in-law’s day: Kerala’s Saradakutty Nair redefines family with affection and equality

Kottayam: At the Saradavilasam house in Kumaranalloor, 83-year-old Saradakutty Nair redefines what it means to be a mother-in-law.

Surrounded by her four daughters-in-law, she has built a home where affection, laughter, and shared stories bind generations together, a true model of harmony.

“They are not daughters-in-law to me, they are my daughters,” says Saradakutty with a smile. “I’ve never found fault with any of them. I treat them all with love, and that love has always come back to me. We live here as a mother and her children.”

Since her eldest son, Sasikumar, married Beenakumari 32 years ago, the family has grown around that same spirit of affection. There was never a need to “wait for the day when the mother-in-law would love the daughter-in-law.” Love, in this home, has always been unconditional.

Saradakutty’s pride in her daughters-in-law is evident. Her eldest son, Sasikumar, works with the Arunachal Pradesh Transport Department, while his wife Beena is a teacher. The second son, artist Suresh Kumar, lives in Alappuzha with his wife, Beena Suresh. Sreekumar and his wife, Pratibha, both in the construction field, live in the family home, and the youngest, Rajesh Kumar, lives nearby with his wife, Jyothi. Together, the family includes nine grandchildren, the eldest recently married.

“Amma shares everything equally,” says Jyothi. “Last year, on her 83rd birthday, she gave away all her gifts equally to everyone. That’s what keeps this family happy, her love.”

Pratibha laughs at the questions people often ask. “Many wonder if we really have such a loving mother-in-law. But it’s all true, we live in real love,” she says.

Even though two of her sons live away, Saradakutty calls them every day. On every birthday of the family members, she offers prayers at the Kumaranalloor temple. “It’s her laughter and her warmth that make her such a good mother,” says her son Sreekumar.

Her husband, Gopalakrishnan Nair, who worked with Milma, passed away 13 years ago. Since then, her sons have carried the family forward, guided by their mother’s example of kindness and unity.

As the world marks Mother-in-Law’s Day on the fourth Sunday of October, a tradition that began in Texas in 1934, Saradakutty’s story stands out as a reminder that love, when shared without expectation, can turn even the most stereotyped relationship into one of pure joy.