This post was long overdue. I was planning to write this one since May, but I never got the appropriate words for it. I used to start writing and stop it after writing 2-3 lines. It has been more than 4 months now and I am well composed to write this post. This post is on my NANI MA as I fondly used to call my grandmother (mother’s mother for those who didn’t understand). Officially we don’t have her birth records but she was said to be born in the month of May in 1929. She passed away on 29th April, 2011. She was 81 when she left us all and was going to turn 82 in few days’ time.
She was not keeping well since mid of April and she was hospitalized immediately. She was on ventilator and my elder Mama (mother’s brother) who is a doctor himself was shocked and shaken for the first time in his life as he knew that this is not going to end well. He knew it is just days before she might pass away. But he held the family together and in a positive frame of mind. My Nanaji (mother’s father) is still alive and even he understood what is in store in fate but he too showed a strong face in front of my Nani and he cried like a baby after coming out. Everyone’s condition was the same. When I went to meet her at the hospital, she was without her specs, yet she could identify me and called me by the name she fondly used to call, ‘Hiru’. She told me to take care of myself and the way she talked I thought that she knew what is going to happen. 2 days after I went to meet her, I was in office on a Friday evening and I got a call which said that she is no more. I knew this was going to happen but still the shock was unbearable. I just kept quiet for few minutes, composed myself and informed my colleagues and left office for her place…
I have very fond memories of my Nani Ma. She and my Nanaji used to stay in Andheri and that was our home for almost every vacation during our school days. We cousins used to go there and enjoy a lot. She had many grandchildren (6 Granddaughters & 2 Grandsons). She also saw a Great Granddaughter before she left and played with her too. She used to enjoy playing with them. There is no harm in stating the fact that I was one of her favorites (some of my cousins might hit me after this) but I will openly state that this was the case. I enjoyed going to her place regularly. Some days when I thought mom would get mad at me for any mistake of mine, I used to call my Nani up and used to go spend a day or two with her. She always used to take care of my likes and dislikes and almost everytime I had the liberty to enjoy a nice meal at her place. She used to call all her children in the morning to get an update from them about their well-being and she used to enjoy talking on phone with most of her relatives. My Nanaji knew that this thing used to cheer her up, so he never complained about the phone bill. In fact, he used to remind her that she forgot calling some XYZ relative of theirs.
She used to become a kid with us kids. She used to enjoy playing cards with us. I can very proudly say that she taught me and my cousins most of the card games. She always used to have 2 sets of cards at her place and we loved playing cards with her. She was a competitive player and used to feel very bad on losing and used to enjoy winning any round of the game. She taught us how to cheat in the card games too. We also played board games like snakes & ladders, ludo etc. with her. She always used to call us to her place to play cards with us and to cook food for us. I remember one incident very clearly where I had too much of Dhoklas one night when I was a kid and I suffered from very bad acidity that night. I woke her up and told her my status and she started laughing as I was standing there naked in front of her after my several rounds of the restroom. She gave me an antacid which brought about instant relief and again shockingly I slept naked after getting relieved.
She was an enthusiastic lady and a very meticulous lady. She used to plan things out well in advance. If there is anyone’s wedding or function to go to, she used to get the Saree ironed and matching blouse selected atleast one month in advance. She used to ask my Nanaji for his views and he used to reply in his own unique style. She enjoyed a lot during 2 of my cousin’s weddings and she remembered all the birthdays and anniversaries in the family accurately. She was also a very feisty lady and used to fight with all the vendors if they tried to cheat her. She used to bargain even for a single rupee and used to get the best vegetables and fruits around. She loved mangoes and she always waited for summer. She got mangoes from the vendors with a guarantee that they are going to be sweet and she actually used to fight and hit the vendor with the seed of the mango if they turned out to be sour. She was also an avid fan of non-veg food but she didn’t cook any at her place as she stayed in a locality dominated by Gujarati Jains and they hate the very smell of non-veg food. So, we used to take parcels for her from our place…
There are many such anecdotes which can describe her life and she lived her life to the fullest. I was very close to her and I went for my 10th, 12th & 1st year Engineering exams from her place. Even when 26th July loomed on Mumbai, I took shelter at her place as my college too was in Andheri. I just couldn’t take the news in when she passed away and though my face was tearless, my heart was crying, because I already started missing her. I was one of her favorites and she had done a lot for me. She had gone out of her way at times just so that I didn’t face any trouble in life. For me, if you ask, then I’ll say that she was the best. I was born at her place, I celebrated many occasions at her place, in need of strength I visited her etc… etc… etc…
I felt bad when I last went to visit her at the hospital because both of knew at that point that she was not going to survive for long but both of us didn’t show it. She told me that she might not live long but she herself laughed it off and started guiding me on my life… Such was her nature that she was concerned even at the end…
On 29th April, 2011 when I got the news, I went to her place to arrange all the stuff properly so that we could start work on her journey for the heavenly abode next morning, I recollected all the fond memories I had of that place with her and I just thought that I won’t get those moments back. At the funeral, after my Mama completed the rituals, I told my Nanaji, “She and dad used to have good debates and discussions. Now she will join him up there and they will continue from where they paused…”