The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world Sameeksha Chadha UPSC Preparation Sat, Feb 12, 2022, at ,09:46 PM "The hand that rocks the cradle,rules the world" this is not a proverb but a line from a full-blown poem "What Rules The World" by William Ross Wallace. These lines refer to the "miraculous contribution of mothers to the society" and beautifully depicts the diverse roles of mothers. A mother is not only a caregiver but "the shaper of the society". She is seen as an epitome of unconditional feelings and unmatchable strength. A mother is home to unconditional love, miraculous compassion, selflessness, sacrifice and empathy" and she represents "the ray of new hopes, the strength to mold the society, the future of the nation and the shape of the future World.The oldest civilisation of the world, "The Indus Valley Civilisation" was home to 'Mother Goddess'. Not only this,but the Indian land is filled with buried goddess figurines and ancient texts like Vedas, Upanishads and ancient textbooks like Mahabharat, Ramayana. These ancient text and figurines shows that "The Indian society has been the land of courageous women and her impact has changed the course of history. The Indian land has not only given birth to fearless women but has also given birth to 'fearless and doting mothers'. The mothers are the "primary source of knowledge and establishes a direct connection with children." She is the child's first mentor and her teachings get embodied in the brain forever. The valor strength embodied in mothers have the audacity to influence the development and growth of the children. It determines and control how children are brought up and how their personality is developed. The teachings of mother has gifted and destructed the land from time to time. The world has been witness of the fortitude gifted to mothers. The bravery of Rani Lakshmi Bai to safeguard her son and her land, Jhansi from the evil intentions of the British Rule to the courageous mother-son Jijabai and Shivaji Maharana Pratap. Jijabai though her selflessness and as a remarkable mentor to her son, Shivaji decided the the future of India, as the 'Land of The Marathas'.The glorious land of India saw the fearless and courageous Maharana Pratap and the land of Panipat, stands as the witness till date. The contemporary world has also witnessed dictators like Adolf Hitler who with his strict ideology of exclusion, made the world the land of violation of human rights, oppression, and harassment of a particular community only to fulfill his dream of what a society should look like. Such examples demonstrates on importance of up bringing and how it plays crucial role in determining future of the child and the world.The real essence of ‘womanhood’ lies in the 'motherhood’ which is symbolized by nurturing, caring and sacrifice.The impact of the mere presence of a mother has been beautifully symbolized by the belief that “the only cure for a crying baby is in the arms of the mother.” It shows the fundamental role of motherhood in the existence of the universe. The beauty of the “mothers strength is diversified, as it can rock a cradle and can rule the world at the same time.” A mother rules the world through the values, ethics and morals embedded in the child through her. These embedments shapes and influence the future of the society as it determines the “nature and characteristics of the society.”The universe has not only gifted 'the mothers' with the essence of unconditional love but to every woman who becomes a mother ‘Motherhood’ is connected with the feelings of sacrifice, support, unconditional love and establishment of balance with the children. Today, due to technology and more societal acceptance, there are various unconventional ways to enjoy and welcome motherhood like surrogacy, adoption, single motherhood, same gender motherhood. The path to motherhood might had gone under evolution but what remains common is "the impact and unconditional love of the mother figures. Angelina Jolie,Sushmita Sen and Priyanka Chopra Jonas are some famous examples. To conclude, the proverb, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”, embeds to the clear importance of upbringings, and imbibes to the process of preparedness than the outcome. By placing importance to the one who rocks the cradle it certainly implies how important it is for the person who is responsible for upbringing for the future not only of the subject but the influences that the subject could have in the world. Though, in it’s literal sense it talks about mother-child relationship, in it’s symbolic sense, the meaning extends to culture, country, society and beyond. Which makes it important for the leaders of the world, to plan their actions effectively, in humanly ways possible, their actions are preparedness to the leaders of the future.