Does a mother lose her identity, when all she did was spread warmth? Why? Read on to know more...

The shrill alarm clock rang at its usual unearthly hour. Bone tired Ba craved for few more winks. She had allowed herself that luxury, the previous day and the children had almost missed their school bus. Ratna, her daughter-in-law, was livid when she heard about it.

Wearily, Ba pushed herself up, from her tiny cot, rushed through her morning ablutions. It was time to wake the children up. The next one hour was a blur. Ba silently put up with Ria's and Yash's tantrums, cajoling them, pleading with them, never raising her voice, even once. Finally, they were off to the bus stop, in the nick of time.

As they reached the bus stop, Ria announced, “Ba, stand at a distance from us. You are all dirty and smelly. My friends laugh at me.” Ba winced at these sharp words. Ria was indeed a chip of the old block. She had inherited her mother's acerbic tongue. Yash too chipped in, “ Ba, do not hug me. My uniform gets soiled!”. And with these abrasive words, they were off.

Ba stood transfixed to the ground. She was good enough to iron their clothes, polish their shoes, get them ready, but not good enough for their affection, their embraces. Numb with pain, Ba slowly made her way back.

Ratna was already up. “Ma, Tea!!” she yelled. And a series of commands ensued. “Ma, make Thepla for breakfast, and do hurry up. Ravi and I, need to leave early. Go easy on the oil. Don't you have any concern for your only son's health? There is so much wastage around the house. Only we know, how hard it is, to go out and slog for our tiny salaries. It is all too easy for you to sit at home, eat and relax.!!”

Years of such mental abuse hadn't hardened Ba... Yet... Even now, Ba's heart was tender enough to be stung by Ratna's harshness. Wordlessly, she wiped her silent tears and moved towards the kitchen, to rustle up the breakfast.

Soon Ravi, her only son, woke up. On hearing his voice, Ba quickly made his favorite Ginger tea. She longed to have a quiet word with him. But Ratna beat her to it. She took the cup of tea from Ba's hands and joined Ravi at the breakfast table. Ravi called out to Ba. “ Ma, I have some guests over, for dinner tonight. Make your famous Dhokla, Undhiyu, and Bhajiya. The party will go on, till late at night. So don't wait up for us. Finish your dinner and retire to your room. Tomorrow is a working day, you see.” Ratna chimed in, “Take care of salt and chilies. Last week's guests had an upset stomach, after eating your oily and spicy food.” Ravi meekly nodded.

She understood the situation alright. Ravi would never introduce her to his guests. She was just expected to hover around in the background and conjure up tasty savories as and when required. Her food was good enough to be served to the guests but she wasn't good enough to meet them.

Lost in her thoughts, she never saw Ratna and Ravi leave. Nobody had thought of asking her if she had eaten, if she needed something if she was doing ok. 'Ma' only in the moniker. Neither in thoughts nor in action...

If only she had developed some Life Skills,

If only her husband had been supportive of her fledgling career dreams,

If only her husband hadn't died all of a sudden,

If only she had invested the insurance money wisely, for the rainy day,

If only she had been a bit selfish, and not spent all her money on her only son.....

This hellish descent from 'Ba' to 'Bai', would not have been so steep and so painful...

Wiping her tears, Meera Surendra Shah aka Ba walked into the kitchen.

Undhiyu and Dhokla awaited her deft touch.