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| This article is on my mind for a long time. I am not very sure of bringing out what I felt. Any way here I'm trying my best. Hope you enjoy it. |
| This is about a lady whom I cherish most in my heart. She, was an ordinary woman and lived an ordinary life. Nobody knew even her age, may be just around 95 when she passed away a year ago. |
| She made us to understand that there is more to life than what it meets the eyes. Whenever there was a quarrel(we are five children in the family), she forcefully intervened and defended the weak. She never bothered about getting scolded often for this. |
| Even it was impossible for my father to get angry at us when Grandma was there(She was always there). If he was scolding my eldest sister, then grandma would say, 'How dare you are talking harsh to a girl child?'. If it was me, then 'he is a small boy, he will not do it again'. If it was my brother, then 'Don't scold him, he has grown up and treat him as your friend'. She had her own ways of looking at things and interpreting it her way. |
| In the early days of my childhood, we had to drink the herbal syrup every day. It was made-up of Tulsi, Neem and other such herbs. It would be bitter as gal in taste. So I used to dodge with only half a glass and if time favours (father not around)would replace it with coffee. But if my father at home, it would be impossible. Seeing my face, grandma would come to my side and offer me a piece of margarine. I would have a bite of sugar and drank the syrup. My father would be angry, but nothing could be done. |
| Grandma knew a lot about herbs and people always consulted her for remedies. In a hot sunny afternoon one lady along with her child came to grandma. She told grandma that her child's liver was twisted inside and all the medicine she gave failed to improve the child's condition. The lady cried before finishing and requested grandma to do something. It was around 11 O'clock, grandma asked the lady to bring the child in the evening at four O'clock. But the lady cried and asked grandma to see the child right away. But the request was refused firmly. |
| The lady came back in the evening. The child was like a rock without any movement. |
| Grandma prayed for a while and moved her hands all over the child's body and applied the herbal oil. Then without any ceremony she lifted the child upside down and gave few slaps near the stomach. The child started crying. Then she put down the child gently and fed the Tulsi syrup in a spoon. life started coming back to the child. |
| The child's mother was ecstatic and fell at grandam's feet and offered her money on a pedal leave with nuts. Grandma happily took the pedal leaves and nuts and refused to take the money. For that, she never accepted money from any body for her service. But I was angry with grandma and asked 'why you didn't cure the child in the morning itself'? Grandma looked at me and told softly,'Daddy, There is time to do everything. You will understand this when the time comes'. |
| Even after studying Einstein's theory of relativity(which teaches time and its relationship with other entities) still i could not understand it. May be the time has not yet come. Isn't it? |
| One day when I was playing, I got wounded in my legs. Grandma was our family doctor, so she gave me a knife and asked to bring the outerskin of a particular tree from neighbourhood. |
| I came back cutting enough skin for few days. Grandma looked at me in disbelieve. She asked, 'Why did you cut so much?'. I told her that 'I don't want to go there every day, so I brought for few days'. She shook her head and murmured to herself, 'It is useless to put lifeless medicine to cure wounds'. |
| Where she got her knowledge from I donot know, but she always had something interesting to tell you at odd times. One day I was walking back and forth in the garden in a gloomy mood. When I was walking, plucked the leaves and broke small stems of the plants. Grandma called me and asked, 'Daddy, if somebody brake your limbs, how would you feel?'. From that time, my conscious never allowed me to disturb the plants. |
| She always called me daddy and never scolded even once. On all the festival and important days, she used to tell us, 'Today you should not get angry and also don't make others angry'. But it often turned out to be testing the elders patience to the maximum. |
| All said, she was not an angel, really. She had her own moments of trouble. When ever she got angry, She used to tell. 'I am just living to see, my grand daughter's marriage'. My eldest sister got married. |
| Then if she got angry,it was,' I am living just see my grandson's marriage'. My second sister got married and my brother also got married. Then it was, I am living just to see my great grand son'. He was born few years back. Then it was, I am living just to see daddy's marriage'.This time went before it did happen. She must be wary of waiting forever and left us on a Sunday morning, silently. |
| She was pious and she always sung prayer songs, no matter the time of the day. But we never saw her spending time in the prayer room. She fasted on some important days particularly eclipses meant a lot to her. |
| During eclipse she would not eat until it ends. Even though it was clearly written on the calendar, she used her own ways to find out when it ended. |
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Before eclipse she would select a spot directly under the sky and place the brass plate on it. Then the long hollow tube(used to make flour) would be placed on the plate. Finally a little amount of water would be poured on the plate. When the eclipse started, the water would go inside and when the eclipse ends all the water would come out. I used to mock her with disbelief. One day she told, 'if you didn't believe touch the cylinder, you would feel the difference'. I was not afraid of anything but some how I never touched it. |
| Grandma always surprised me with her logic and kindness. It was nearing Deepavali festival and my mother was preparing different varieties of sweets. Children always long to eat the fresh sweets as they had distinct taste. I got a break from the play and dashed to the house to eat the sweets. My mother knew why I was coming home so fast. She told me sternly, 'Yes, all these sweets are for you but first wash your body and pray to god then I will give you' |
| (Those who have a headmistress for their Mother understands this better). I was very angry and just turned to go back to the play. Grandma called me back and told mother, ' Give him the sweets'. And added lightly to soften mother, 'after all children are the God in disguise'. The sweets I ate still lingers in my mind. |
| She lived her life with content. She had only four pure cotton saris at any given time. Whenever festival came we used to ask her what she wanted? She always asked us to get good clothes for us and refused to accept anything for her. One day mother purchased a nice sari for grandma. She looked at the sari and told mother. 'Good. Keep it new, so that you can cover me with it when I die'. We went dumb. Even after living with her for so long time, it was really very difficult to believe the way said it. |
| She loved her child and sacrificed every thing for it even after the child became 50 years old. Just like that she sacrificed her comforts for others benefit. It changed my attitude for the most. |
| She was not educated in the present sense of life but so many things still I wonder about her. The way she talk to you when you are dejected, the way she is non existent when you don't need her, how the food she make is so tasty and why the pickles she make never get spoiled even after months? |
| Some body may give a plausible answer for all these things. But I don't need them because somethings are better cherrised than analysed. |
| (I wonder what will happen to our stock markets if all the doctors in the world,did not charge their patients?) |