It was Ammama's birthday yesterday. We celebrated it with a
home-baked chocolate cake and a visit to the temple. She said it was her 86th;
many years ago, she'd say she didn't know. And that’s how she likes it –
less about her, always about everyone around her.
When life offered her lemons, she’d make lemonade with some
of them, and then a lip smacking spicy pickle with the rest. She would whip up
the most delicious amchi dishes and take great pleasure in feeding guests and
family. Orphaned at an early age, she was raised by family members
and married very young. Marriage was perhaps one of the best things that
happened in her life. Indeed! She now has a family to dote on, nurtured
with her unconditional love, affection and drool worthy home-made meals..
A pillar of support for every family member, high school was
a distant dream for her and yet until she aged, she could do basic math
calculations in a matter of seconds. Her style of narrating stories was
creative. They were mostly tall-tales with a moral lesson. We
enjoyed each one of them wide-eyed, cuddled into her lap, fiddling with her
damp sari pallu. In summer, when all the grandkids came visiting, she would
bribe us with a delicious meal and one of her stories, and then watch us
giggle at our bloated belly from all that eating.
Scriptures and prayers seem to infuse a lot of inner
strength in her because she is always in denial for any pain her own body has
to endure. When my grandfather suffered a brain clot, she stayed by his side, through
his recovery, rehabilitation and altered lifestyle for years till his last breath.
Through it all we got to see her strength and courage. When I suffered my share
of health problems, she’d spend the day with me in the cramped hospital room and
read her scriptures with a faith that they’d work a miracle for me. Once home,
she’d guide my mother to make different concoctions of herbs and spices to
build back my body and mind. Together, they put my life back on track. My ammama
has always been there for each of her children and grandchildren through their
ups and downs.
Today, my ammama enjoys the company of her children,
grandchildren and her tired eyes light up when her now grown up grandkids visit
home. She still wears mismatched saris at home, enjoys really spicy food and is
disappointed that she cannot eat as much rice now. She refuses to wear dentures
but that has made her smile more adorable. A dynamic woman, she can strike a conversation with anyone, speak 'her' English with great confidence and enjoys a great sense of humor – she still laughs at my silly chatter. She
continues to read her scriptures, does not miss a single episode of Sankat Mochan Hanuman and looks forward to my Konkani radio show every Saturday.
