Shabana Azmi borrowed the words of an AR Rahman song to caption a picture that shows a woman balancing a baby on her back and bricks on her head. The woman, a construction worker, was photographed carrying her baby in a sling tied to her shoulders while working. While the picture in itself is an old one - it has been circulating on social media for months - it gained attention after it was shared this afternoon by actor Shabana Azmi, 70.
In the picture, the woman is seen balancing six bricks on her head while working at her construction site. Her baby hangs in a makeshift sling of sorts - improvised out of a piece of cloth strung across her shoulders.
"Ma tujhe salaam (Salute to mothers)," the National Award-winning actress wrote while sharing the photograph on Twitter.
Ma tujhe salaam ???? pic.twitter.com/xzyY4Rz1k8
— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) September 23, 2020
Since being shared this afternoon, it has collected nearly 5,000 'likes' and hundreds of 'retweets' on the microblogging platform. While many hailed the woman for balancing childcare duties with a labour-intensive job, others said that glorification of the image also glorified poverty.
"Don't glorify wrongs. Condemn the system that makes her work with such a small infant," one Twitter user wrote.
"How is this different from poverty porn? Hope someday we get real as a people and demand that measures be taken to better working conditions for our people rather than 'salaam'ing them. This is ridiculously dangerous for that kid and the mother," another said.
Their opinions were countered by others who praised the image. "Powerful, poignant, and inspirational," one Twitter user remarked, while another wrote, "Bless you, Maa."
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
