Grandparents
by Saima
After reading Nancy’s post on her relationship with her FIL, various thoughts sprung to my mind. So i decided to pen them down.
I have been meeting with my Maternal Grandparents almost every single day since Class 5. Living in the same city as them, my parents would drop us there and we would get dropped there after school. My Nani is particularly an extremely fit lady *touchwood*. She gets up at 5, goes for her walk, irrespective of the weather and then does her yoga sessions, before entering the kitchen. She has to be one of the most adorable ladies. In fact, when I started looking for some Western Dance Classes to join, she pestered me that she would also join with me. By the way she is 75 or perhaps more 🙂 She is also the coolest Nani in the world. She allowed my mother to marry a non-Hindu person, around 2 decades back, and supported her thoroughly, even when my father’s family was not too keen. My friends adore her and so do all her grand children. Recently she is planning to go on a trip to Rishikesh to rejuvinate herself, along with her sisters.
My Nana on the other hand has got to be the most pessimist person! He thinks EVERY SINGLE thing he eats, WILL have side-effects on him!! He has been ill quite a number of times, but its my Nani’s determination that gets him up on his feet again 🙂 I remember last year, my Nana fell down. he ws in a lot of pain. He couldn”t move and since he had some stomach problem as well, he couldn’t eat or drink as well. That night, I was up till 3 studying. I heard Nana coughing and i woke up Nani, the whole night we were up. Just the two of us (since my parents had gone for Hajj). At one point of time, we thought he would not live to see the day. So the only resort left to us was to pray. Nani holding his one hand and me holding his other. We both started chanting our prayers. Nani chanting her mantras and me chanting my Quranic verses. And the night passed. Today he goes for his walks, does a bit of household shopping and listens to his songs almost the whole day. I don’t think I will ever forget that night.
By the way did I mention, my Nani drives around the city in her car, while my Nana still cannot drive 😉
My Nana’s mother was also alive till my first year of college. She was so fond of us. She was always calling us to her room, to have a chat, but we would often rush out after few minutes for some work. She died in front of my eyes. I wish I had spent more time with her.
Coming to my Paternal Grandparents. I don’t remember my Dadi. We were told, she was a really adorable lady, who would scold my mother and father if she ever saw her favourite grand daughters getting scolded. Sigh…
My Dada on the other hand lived to the age of 98 and died in a lot of pain in December last year. I wasn’t particularly close to him. He was a traditional old man, who was extremely religious. He was old fashioned too, he did not like grown up girls in his house to wear anything but the Indian Dresses and never allowed TV in his house. It was only in the last 2 years of his life, he allowed the TV on the repeated requests of his grandson, who wanted to watch Cricket on it. But till he died he never really saw TV. However, the one thing I admired about him was that, no matter how old fashioned he was, he never forbade any of his Daughters in Law to go out and work, nor did he tell any of us to wear Hijab. In fact he was so proud of the fact that i was studying to be a lawyer. Alas, he never saw me become one 😦
I wanted to remove my apprehensions and spend some time with him. But it never really happened. He passed away too soon. Or perhaps I realised too late.
I wrote this poem in Class 5. I understand its meaning more truly now.
Grandparents guide us
They are the one’s who are behind us
We are like a fen,
they guide us to become wise men.
This is all I remember !!
Nice Post!!! U r lucky to have such adorable grandparents 🙂
I sure am 🙂
thankoo 😀
A beautiful tribute to both sets of grandparents. Ur parents will love to read it again & again.
“Nani holding his one hand and me holding his other. We both started chanting our prayers. Nani chanting her mantras and me chanting my Quranic verses. And the night passed.”
The scene played in front of my eyes when I read it…. will not forget it anytime soon.
God Bless U!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Nancy 🙂
You were my inspiration for this one 🙂
Hugs 🙂
why did you say touchwood after you said that your nani is an extremely fit lady?
grandparents sure make us wisemen
Taki nazar n lag jae
🙂
you have amazing grandparents 🙂
reminded me of mine though my grandparents are no more I feel their warmth and love everyday..all I have to do is think of a memory and smile:)
and you know even all the characteristics of your nana nani dada dadi match those of my grandparents too 😀
even the fact that your dadu doesnt like certain things..same was the case with my dadu 😀
((((((((((hugs)))))))
god bless you and yours 🙂
Really!! thats soo cool 🙂
I guess we take them for granted when they are alive and then we miss them 😦
Life and its ironies 😦
u know what…ur nani sounds soooo much like mine!! i bet they would be really good friends if they ever met…my nani is always complaining that all the women her age are only interested in puja paat and all she wants to do is go for a long drive and chit chat nonsense! 🙂
i think im gonna do a post on her soon…considering she is my favouritest person in the whole world!!
so adorable!! I really admire their spirits. Some people just give it all up, while others live each day to the fullest!
Do let me know when you have written the post!
Hugs
Ah! Reading smoothly the whole write up..
It is great to know that you are a crossbreed(not genetically of course)…
Your nana is not pessimistic but conditioned to a conformity and conservatism. this happens to most of people around the world. They want security, a life where no can or should think different or cross a particular line and there misery comes…In fact those who are pessimist will always go for different dimensions, searching for different suns because inherently they want to see the optimistic side of life..
Nice lucid writing…and also the funny poem by a child.
Allah hafiz
I never thought about it this way 🙂
Thank you for you nice comments!!
Allah Hafiz 🙂
hugs saima! i agree ur nani is the coolest!!! 🙂
me never got to be with grandparents for too long, coz we live in the city and they live in the native place. but i do miss them!!!
ur grandfathers have a similar behaviour as my nana!! 😀
guess there will be similarities….we might become similar nani’s whenever we grow old, eh??? lol!
i just hope i too can be cool as ur nani!!! hugs for her
god bless u all! 🙂
ohhh…i would love to be as cool as her 😉 she is like coolness personified!! 🙂 And i love her to bits 🙂
God Bless u too 😀
*hugs*