Grand in many ways!

I talk about my grandmother much more now than ever before. There is nothing strange about this one may wonder, considering the fact that grandparents are generally lenient and indulgent as compared to our parents. Back in the ‘80s when we were free from the shackles of electronic gadgets, spending summer vacation at my grandma’s house meant endless hours of fun with the abundance of food and ample doses of pampering thrown in.

Listening to the mythological stories from my grandma was akin to watching a mega serial. Drama, emotion and suspense was added in good measure to sustain my interest level. As I continue to walk down this wonderful memory lane, I notice that the time spent with her is much more than mere recollections of good old days. The way she led her life as a wife, mother and a grandmother has left an indelible mark on my life. Be it cooking, running errands, reading her favourite magazine or just chit-chatting with neighbours-- no activity was mundane. She neither was a perfectionist nor aimed to multitask but strongly believed that prioritizing was a key to productivity.

Procrastination helps at times, this is another secret I learnt from her. It was her way of buying time to think or make rational decisions and it invariably worked to the best possible effect.

She had limited knowledge of Hindi but often used the words ‘chalta hain’. Today, I realise that this ‘chalta hain’ stance was well embraced. Particularly, if someone passed a cynical comment or criticized her, she would smile back and seldom retort. I often used to ask her, “Why don’t you say something?” She would simply say chalta hain.

As a teenager, I failed to understand this but today as I reminisce, I fully comprehend her ‘funda’ in life. Comments, criticism and feedback keep coming to us in many forms, but it’s prudent at times to be non-reactive. She often said, “you cannot stop people from talking bout you. Listen to what is important, retain in it, the rest you can hear it from one ear and throw it out from the other.” The silly adolescent me guffawed at her logic but today when motivational speakers talk about the same thing, I silently laud my grandma’s pearls of wisdom! She may not be physically not present with us but continues to be a resolute figure, whose memories and strong values will be cherished and passed onto to the next generation as a precious heirloom.