Ma -- did you have to leave us so soon?

Ma in Rishikesh

On the morning of July 25 I was busy drafting the next post for this blog. My mum meanwhile was in the kitchen preparing something delicious with mushrooms, when I asked her what she was cooking; she replied “I just thought up this recipe, would you like to taste it?” I tasted it, it was delicious, I said, “Ma this goes into my blog”. “Okay dear,” she replied, “I have more such recipes ticking in my brain for your blog”. Happy and contented at watching my energetic mum, who had this insatiable zest for life (she sometimes gave me a complex), I went back to polish up the post.
My mum preferred not to visit doctors; she said “I am fine; you take care of your health.” No medicines, no visits to the doctor or hospital. She never walked slowly, but on the evening of July 25, after my mum and I watched a cookery show together, she went to freshen up and then destiny revealed itself, when my mum rushed to the bed gasping for breath and left us with my brother beside her without so much as a good-bye. The doctor said this was the right way to go rather than prolong life with medicines but to us her children I wish she had got herself checked, maybe she could have been with us longer.

On our recent trip to Uttarakhand; Ma with my brother and myself

I have learnt some lessons from my mother. She was fiercely independent never took any assistance from anyone, when I say assistance I mean even when my brother offered his hand on a potholed road or a pavement, she refused. “I am fine was her usual reply”. She believed in helping people without expecting anything in return, she said, “Remember Shilpi, it doesn’t matter if the people you help stab you in the back, there will be others who will turn up in your time of need”. I hope I have her will power, and am able to live up to her values and most important, am able to leave this world with my dignity and self respect intact just as my mum did.

Ma as a 13 year old (left), Ma and Dad (top right), Ma around 30 years (bottom right)

On my brother's birthday (top left); at Daulatabad Fort, Aurangabad (top right), picnicking at Vihar Lake (bottom left) and holidaying in Karnataka (bottom right) 

My parents were a made for each other couple, for both left the world in a similar fashion. On September 14, my dad's birth anniversary, I was planning to launch a blog cum website devoted to my father the late cine actor Tarun Bose. My mum was going to provide me with all the information and now I am not sure whether I will be able to launch the blog. I am just not in that frame of mind. I have done a series of guest posts on my father for the Bollywood blog, Memsaabstory. Here are the links to the posts:

 Tarun Bose (Part 1) 

  
Tarun Bose (Part 2): Silence is golden 

Tarun Bose (Part 3) : The soft-hearted villain

 

Tarun Bose (Part 4) : Dacoits and other strange experiences

 Tarun Bose (Part 5) : Favourite directors

 

Tarun Bose (Part 6): Sweet memories

 

I will post the recipe which was to be my 43rd post and which is still in my draft next time. 

Due to some problem with Blogger which I have not been able to figure out some of the text is showing up in capital letters.