Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year. While celebrating the event on this date is apparently a U.S. tradition, and several countries apparently celebrate mothers and motherhood at different times of the year, here in India we celebrate the event much like the Americans.
While the Internet is chock full of last-minute gift ideas, the tech world certainly hasn't forgotten about Mother's Day. Here are four gestures that really stood out in the crowd.
Snapdeal announced its new maternity policy
India's third-largest online marketplace launched what it calls the "Advitya Women on Maternity Programme" on Saturday, ahead of Mother's Day. Under the initiative, Snapdeal is partnering with United Health Care to provide online and phone-based guidance on all aspects of parenthood to pregnant women employees. In addition, the company has also introduced a new parental policy, under which female employees are entitled to up to 25 weeks paid maternity leave and male employees can take up to three weeks off without having to worry about losing pay.
In addition, female employees also have the option to work from home for up to two months post delivery. The maternity leave benefits also apply to parents who adopt, with female employees being entitled to up to 12 weeks' paid leave and male employees being given the freedom to take three weeks off.
Apple launched its "Shot in iPhone" campaign, dedicating it to mothers everywhere
Apple's new "Shot on iPhone" ad came out last week and was an ode to mothers everywhere. The ad featured a series of pictures and videos, all reportedly shot on iPhones. Presented in a slideshow format, the images were accompanied by the song "Because You Are Who You Are" by KS Rhoads.
In addition to the ad, Apple has also launched a website called momsshotoniphone.com. Through the website, users can upload pictures they've clicked of the moms in their family and add it to a personalised version of the official iPhone ad. Once the video is ready, users can share it on social media to show their love.
Facebook's touch of flowers and thankfulness
We reported earlier that Facebook was testing out a special reaction ahead of Mother's Day. The feature is official now. Users on the app or surfing on a computer have an added seventh reaction that Facebook is calling "Thankful." It features a little flower that has been reported to stay on in posts even after the reaction has been removed by Facebook.
Those on Messenger also have a really nifty feature they can play with. A little flower can be found at the bottom right of the screen, which when tapped decorates messages with flowers! Again, this is reportedly an ephemeral feature.
Google's Doodle
Google's tradition of celebrating important events with doodles has a Mother's Day touch on Sunday, May 8. The doodle features a classy pair of women's loafers alongside a tiny pair of slip-ons with a cute bear on them.
Illustrated by Sophie Diao, the person behind Google's awesome Earth Day doodles, this doodle apparently takes inspiration from Diao's own life.
"As we get older, we forget how heavily we once relied on our mothers and mother-figures." Diao wrote on Google's Doodle archive. "Today's doodle for Mother's Day harkens back to a time in my youth when following Mom around was all I knew. Thanks, Mom, for all the sacrifices, laughs, and love. [sic]"
Google also had a similar doodle to celebrate Father's Day in Germany.
Interestingly, today is Parent's Day in Korea and Google's got a really cool doodle to commemorate this event as well.
If you've forgotten to get your mom something this year, you could always turn to Apple and Facebook to show your love before quickly placing an order online. Also, next year, Mother's Day falls on May 14; maybe you should add that to your calendar and maybe set a reminder sometime around May 7.
