Even for those who are in the prime of their life, looking after a six-year-old is known to be an exhausting task.
So spare a thought for 76-year-old for Omkari Singh - the world's oldest mother - and her schoolboy son Akashvani. In 2008, and at the age of 70, Singh, from Uttar Pradesh, northern India, made headlines around the world after giving birth to twins Akashvani and Barsaat. The female twin Barsaat tragically died at the age of four, but her son is perfectly healthy. Although she received a barrage of criticism both online and from her local community for having children so late in life, Singh, who is married to Charan, 89, stated that she couldn’t be any happier. She also noted that many people ask her whether he is her son, adding that she is very happy to be the mother of a six-year-old boy.
“It is an unexplainable feeling.” Like any six-year-old, Akashvani is playful and full of life, with his elderly mother occasionally struggling to keep up, especially when it comes to getting her son ready for school. In this regard, the mother notes that she has problems getting him dressed saying “it is hard to run around and feed him.” Veermati, another mother who lives in her village, said: “It is good Omkari gave birth to a child at this age.” Already parents to two daughters and grandparents to five, the couple were desperate to have a boy; eventually succeeding when their eldest daughter Kamla was 50 years old.
It is worth noting that in order to pay for the IVF treatment vital to producing a male heir to the family's smallholdings; the Panwars sold their buffalos, mortgaged their land, spent their life savings and took out a credit card loan.
While she adores her son, the 76-year-old knows that age is not on her side - but hopes to live long enough to see Amritwani getting married. Until that time comes, the Singhs plan to make the most of their time with their son.