My Maternal Grandma

Thank you sir, for this write up. I was reminded of my maternal uncle. He used to narrate lots of ghosts stories and as you said he also narrated them much better than any horror movie.. Now he is no more.. Myself and my brother used to wait for his visits just to listen to his stories. This generation kids will not have much to talk about their uncles and aunts. Most of them staying abroad and the vacation time also differs from country to country.. The time I spent with my cousins are the best. My son,niece and nephews might not even know the taste of it. That's a sorry state of this generation kids...

 

Dear Sri Sir
All I could say is
You transported me to a beautiful era and I felt sad when the write up ended because I have to live in this current world.
Thank you for this beautiful article.

Grandmothers are such treasures of love and source of tremendous wisdom and teach us how to handle life's up and downs.
One of my grandmother's belief is - keep moving and nothing will affect your health. When said it I did not listen, now all the health gurus say that and I recall my grandma.

 

Of course sir! You are a young man still at heart and the day when you can be called great grand pa may not be far away

And some titles just fall into our lap, just be happy and enjoy that. As long as you are not that great grand pa hiding behind a newspaper till cows come home, all will be well. Who am I kidding? There are no papers and no cows now. So sir you are destined to be a 'great' grand pa! Enjoy the ride

I have never experienced the love of grandfathers and my kids as you know had only grandfather. I still miss my MIL tremendously and I tell you she would have made one fine grandma! Well, it is what it is!

 

My dear Anna

With your post you brought your maternal grandma in front of us. Also brought me memories of my maternal grandma.

She also wore saffron saree and shaved head . She was strict but at the same time very loving and used to teach good things. She used to tell us about North Parur but that time I did not know that I will be married to a family from there. We used to call her Periyamma and my mother as Chinnamma. Since my mother was very.simple and did not no much she used to depend on my grandma for everything.Since she did not have a son and my mother only daughter she is to stay with us and run the house. She used to fulfill my wishes and I used to get my work done. My sister used to fear to ask her for going out etc but I knew how to get our work done.

For my sister's marriage she brought everything herself. Morning by 7 am they used to finish cooking. Those days rice etc had to be cleaned and the rice required for marriage she used to clean . She prayed that she will make 1001 kozhakattais for the marruage to be successful.She She as expert in everything never used to make us work in the kitchen while in school and while working. She used to say you only have to do all the work later so now enjoy your life. My brother used to like sevai and she used to make with sevai nazhi

She used to go alone to places and buy vegetable s herself and talk to them in tamil only.

She and me went for my sister's delivery and sometimes go to the hospital herself. She stayed back in Delhi to help my sister and I came back. She suffered from cancerand dif not wait for my brother in law to come with her and came alone and we were so much worried till she came back .She was very independent and active.

I had the opportunity to help and take care of her during her last days when she was suffering from cancer. She told me for your sister I could do everything for her marriage. But for you I won't be there but my blessings are there to get a good husband and with her blessings I got a gem of a person and from her place. Whatever I am today is because of her.

Thank you for sharing about your grandma and for giving me a chance to write about my grandma

 

Thanks for wonderful snippet, it brings back memories of our grandmas.

I am still envious about my paternal grandma and her 2-brothers relationship till to the day. We don't have custom of wearing specific colored saree for widows. My grandma lived 17 years after my grandpa. She was continued to take care of our farms - independent lady but sad, lonely at times. Every pongal without fail, her younger brother brought her 'pongal seer' and stayed by her side for the celebration. Due to some conflict, my grandpa turned down the post from a village head, but she took the 'post' behalf of her son (my dad) - that was the story I heard in later years. She needed her brothers' support to continue to keep the role of village head until my dad's retirement. There were conflict /arguments during pongal, she must be a strong woman to stand against her BILs, and other relatives to keep the post. I remember her strong presence, visiting the village only for 3-days during pongal celebration, that's the extend of my memory of her. After my dad's retirement, she slowly lost her memory, returned to her brother(s) home, and passed away peacefully. Fortunately, she had a chance to see my dad as the village head, but she didn't live long enough to see the good changes he made in the village. She must be very proud of my dad for restoring the chariot car / re-building the temple in the village after 40 some years of rivalry, conflict.

Who would listen to a widowed lady at that time? Her strong willpower, support of her brothers and eventually she convinced my dad to take the role.

 

Haha, Good thinking! Maybe true.
Yes sir, times are changing...and so should we.