This is to you Grandma

Memories of childhood are the most vivid and memorable for most of us. The people we grow up with affect us in innumerable ways and influence our character in indirect ways. My Grandma has shaped my life in more ways than one. Today I feel honoured to tell the story of my beloved Grandma who had been an essential part of my growing up years.

The grandma I talk about is my mother's mother. My Grandma was a very simple woman. She was always clad in a clean, simple dress and hardly wore any jewels. She carried a grace with her and never got into an argument. In fact, my Grandma was not an extra-ordinary woman, but she was very important to me. She was not rich, but she was invaluable to me. She didn't travel around the world, but she was a big part of my world. She didn't drive us to school, but she made sure that we progressed in our studies. She prepared food and snacks for us and made sure we ate well.  She also didn't give us toys or gifts. But, she gave us her love in plenty.

As would any Grandmother, my grandma told us stories. She would lie down after lunch for her nap and that's when we would climb on her to tell us stories. Her stories were always from the Hindu myth demonstrating the victory of righteousness. As we grew older and the stories repetitive, we were more interested in real life stories than fiction. We would ask our Grandma to tell us her story. We would ask her who our Grandpa was, and insist her that she tell us how naughty my mother had been when she was young. Those stories had been much more fascinating to us than the mythological ones. As we learned,  my Grandma had been trained as a nurse and used her training briefly. After marrying my Grandfather, she bore 7 children, but only 3 of them survived. Of the three, the Eldest was my mom, then my uncle and my aunt.

But, that was not the most curious of stories we would ask our Grandma about. The biggest tragedy of her life I thought was that of my Grandfather's tragic death when my Grandma was very young. We would always ask her when she heard the news and how she reacted to it. But she would brush aside our childishness and give only a brief account of the fact. As we have learned about our Grandma, she took life as it is and never cried over spilled milk.

My Grandma never had a complaint about life. She did not have great luxuries in life and she did not care about them much. She did household chores without any reluctance or boredom. She was a big support to my mother in bringing us all up, especially my brother and sister who were twins.

Of all my brother, sisters, and cousins, if she ever had a favorite grandchild, it was undoubtedly me. She would tell my cousins that I was the brightest and that they should follow my lead in academics. Naturally, she was my Grandma of choice! I will always sleep next to her, with my leg on top of her. I would insist that my Grandma dry me after shower. If she was not around, I will give a loud shout and she will come running leaving her job at hand.

During unfavourable situations against my parents, My Grandma was my biggest defense. It was an easy task for her to take on my mom. She would wryly remark to my mom that I haven't done anything that my mom hadn't done as a child. Even my dad can't show an angry face to me under my grandma's protective cover. On top of all of this, she would never ever try to advise me.

As I approached highschool, my Grandma went to live with her son, my Uncle and then with my Aunt. Though she lived away from us, she was always near in my heart. I also had the pleasure of seeing her during summer vacations. After I graduated and got a job, I had an opportunity to live with my Grandma for some time. I re-discovered at that age that she was still my favorite grandma and I, her favorite grandson. In my first salary, I bought her a dress. I was very proud of this small thing I did for her and so was she. I realized that time and distance could hardly change such a relationship afterall.

In her older age, Grandma was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and I was very sad. Though she had trouble identifying people, she did not have a problem identifying me. I would try to talk to her on the phone, but she wouldn’t stay on the phone longer. In 2005, she fell in the bathroom and broke her hip. She went through a successful surgery and I was glad.  But, within 2 days her health took a turn for worse and my Grandma passed away at the age of 79.

Today, looking back to my childhood, I am very glad that my happy memories are interwined with the memories of my Grandmother.  It is very hard to express in words all the things my Grandma has done for me. I simply tell people that I was her favourite grandson and  she, my favorite Grandma.