The title almost sounds like an oxymoron. We often describe ‘mothers’ as caregivers, nurturers and protectors. How, then, can we possibly think of our natural caregivers as weapons? For centuries, mothers have been venerated as incarnations of the divine. Christianity reveres Mother Mary as a guiding force behind Christ’s path. Hindu tradition addresses its goddesses as Sita Mayya, Maa Saraswati, Kaali Maata; mother, before anything else. Mothers represent power that no insti