BENGALURU: Dr Madhu Chopra, mum of actor Priyanka Chopra is a proud mother and grandmother. But above all, she’s an ex-army surgeon who has saved many lives. In Bengaluru over the weekend, she shares her motherhood journey and give us updates about her granddaughter, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas
Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra took the internet by storm when she named her daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, inspired by her mother’s name Dr Madhumalti Chopra, aka, Madhu Chopra. For the ex-army doctor, it came as a pleasant surprise. “I got to know about the name only on the day of the namkaran, and I was so honoured. In our tradition, the paternal grandfather whispers the name, along with words of wisdom, into the baby’s ears. Nick’s dad did those rituals,” reveals Madhu, who was recently in the city for an event organised by Mompower360.
The world is waiting with bated breath for Priyanka and her actor/singer husband Nick Jonas to give a glimpse of their six-month-old daughter, but the wait could be over soon. Madhu hints that the couple is likely to share a picture of their baby girl once she is one year old. We have seen what a romantic boyfriend, now husband, Jonas is to our Desi Girl, making many curious if he is an equally doting father.
“Priyanka and Nick already discussed being equally involved as parents. I give a massage and Nick gives her a bath and changes her diapers,” says Madhu, who is a frequent visitor to the city as she is a member of the Art of Living.
Even though both her daughter and son-in-law are quite involved in bringing up Malti, she is happy doing the overall supervision. For example, when it came to allotting screen time to the baby, although Priyanka was fine with it, after consulting doctors, Madhu was clear about no screen time for the baby in the first few years. “I told Priyanka, with screen time at such a young age, your daughter will get "mote mote chashma ,” laughs Madhu. But speaking about her motherhood journey, Madhu says she always prioritised her career, but after getting married into a conservative household, she had many hurdles to continue as a surgeon. “My parents were interested in my studies and career. I could not have done it otherwise. Now I am doing the same for Priyanka,” says Madhu.
There have been many instances when she had to take Priyanka along with her to her clinic. “It was very rare that Chopra saab and I would both be out on duty. But when that happened, I used to take Pri on my night shifts. That way children also start respecting your profession,” says Madhu. She even faced much criticism when she decided to send a teenage Priyanka to the USA for studies.
“I had full confidence in the upbringing I gave my children,” she asserts. A proud mother and now grandmother, she says while children’s achievements can make one happy, public criticism can be doubly damaging to a mother. “That is why I have logged out of social media,” she laughs. With children from two diverse professions, Madhu shares that the key to a happy life is communication, which she still encourages her children to do.