My childhood memories would be incomplete without the mention of my grandparents. I was lucky to have the most wonderful and loving grandparents – both from my mother’s and my father’s side. So today, when I saw Edition 5 IndiSpire #thestory on lessons learnt from Granny, it got me to share about my grandmother, My Nani!
Very different from the generation that she was born into, unlike others, Nani was financially independent, a working woman and was in a transferable job. While my Nana was an engineer, stationed in Faizabad and took care of 3 elder children, Nani was fulfilling her job duties with two daughters in some different city. And I am talking about the 1970s. She had double masters degree and was the Principal of Government Girls Inter College. To me, she was an achiever. Administration, poetry, writing short stories, sharing thoughts with family and others and living life on principles was her passion. We were born after she retired so we had the privilege of spending time with her and getting to learn so much from her.
During our summer and winter vacations, when we used to visit Faizabad to meet our grandparents – Nani would have planned our vacation – be it a visit to Ayodhya, shopping, eating dosas at a famous hotel, Sunday morning jalebis – everything used to be just perfect. However, the best part for me used to be the afternoons. When everyone used to be fast asleep, I remember tip toeing into a room which had a big glass cabinet which stored a lot of books – from the classic hard bound Reader’s Digest to Premchand, this collection of books was just amazing. I even remember picking up my first Mills & Boon from this cupboard not to forget Shivani’s collection too. Nani pursued her interests and always found time for herself – she would go to kitty parties and come back home with an interesting quiz and grill us at times. Nani had a lovely taste in sarees too. She was fond of her Bangalore silk sarees and she would keep them safe once back home and change into the normal cotton ones (dhoti as they say in Hindi). The best quality cosmetics would be securely placed on her big dressing table. She knew what was kept where and who touched what! 😀
Today, when I look back, I realize these and many more beautiful childhood memories have shaped me in some way. All the pieces connect and I know somewhere deep inside, I have the genes 🙂
P.S. This post was written for Edition 5, IndiSpire – an initiative by Indiblogger to aid the pursuit of intellectual happiness.
happiness and food 
What to say ! you made me cry . you know how much i miss my amma and ghar . thans you made me to visit there .
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This post was to relive memories..so crying is a no-no..
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Aww, that was so cute!!! Happiness is family, ain’t it?
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Yep! It is! 🙂 Totally agree!
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So many memories here, Parul. You have shared nice pics. Your Naani rocks! All our Naanis are/were such superwomen.
We are so blessed.
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Thank you Anita!
Yes, we are truly blessed and I wish we could pass on some great similar stuff to the future generations!! 🙂
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A lovely read..
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Thanks Manjulika! Glad you found it good! 🙂
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wow! this was beautiful!..really enjoyed reading it!…and the last photo in which your nani is sitting in the middle has such a striking resemblance with the photo that i have of my granny!
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Thanks Preksha!
Oh that’s such a unique coincidence 🙂
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Parul, this is such a beautiful post. There’s a common thread in all the grandparents’ stories and we all can relate to. The unconditional love , life struggles and an uncanny sense of satisfaction, at the end of it all, despite of all the hardships.
I wrote about my dadi in that post, but my Nani is very similar to yours in her life. She is uneducated but a successful business owner and exudes confidence !
For the love of grandparents, cheers !
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Thanks a bunch! Yes, cheers to our roots!! 🙂
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I could sense the pride in those words as I read each and every line of this post, Parul. The house was real beautiful and the pic of your naani says that she was a hyper active woman. Kudos.
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Yes, she was awesome and had a style of her own. I miss her! Thanks Ajay!
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Beautifully written. We never stop missing them. They are woven in our lives.
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Thanks Vinitha..Yes, you are so right..woven in our lives..
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Wow ….you must be very proud …double masters at that time was a great achievement 🙂 and yes sometimes we get some reading genes too from our parents or grandparents 😉 …and yes beautiful pictures 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂 Yes – it did feel good. I miss her at times. Summer vacations, silk sarees – and much more remind me of her.
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🙂
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Thank you for sharing this, Parul. Grandparents are such a blessing. I only knew my Maternal Grandmother. I am so glad you have her as part of your growing up!
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I’m glad you directed me towards this story of yours. Your Nani seemed to have been a very inspirational women, and yes, you do have those genes in you! I love your comment about your Nani’s make-up too. My grandmother loved her lipstick, blush, mascara, and nice perfume. I loved that she let me try on her make-up when I would visit her. Thanks for sharing your story!
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