“Grandparents- A blessing we all have”.

“Grandparents are a blessing from God”. Today’s story is about a girl named Sana who stayed in Bangalore, India with her parents and her little sister Tanya. It was a Pleasant saturday morning . Her dad was getting ready to go to the railway station. This was a special day  for her since both her maternal and paternal side grandparents were coming home. She woke up early with great excitement and eagerness to meet them. Her little sis was sleeping, all she had to do, to wake her up was, simply remind her that they were coming home. Long wait was finally over – “ radha ammuma , nathan muthachan , koda ammuma and panjara appupan” (that’s how they call them- their grandparents) were  coming home 😍😍😍😍.After an hour or so , door bell rang! .There was this amazing feeling of joy that she felt when she saw them standing right in front of her.
Days went by .. each day better than the other. A delightful blend of happiness, caring deeds, bedtime stories, both grandma’s tasty recipes and love ..loads of love .

I agree grandparents are fun , but their lovely hobbies are super fun. She enjoyed watching her dadu (Panjara appupan- her dad’s dad) sketch . He used to sit for hours together and sketch . He used to have this huge board ,that he keeps on a chair in a slightly slanting position so he could easily sketch on a sheet kept on it ,siting in his chair. He usually sits near the balcony and sketch, that was his favourite place. Nathan muthachan (Sana’s maternal grandpa) – Well! he’s a fan of WWE😂 though Tanya( the naughty kid at home)never really let him watch a full match .He was also an excellent chef. Sana was proud of this fact, especially his  chicken recipes were her personal favourite. Their favourite restaurant was KFC.He was also quite good at Chess.He taught her different tricks to win the game. They used to play for hours together.
Radha ammuma ( her mom’s mom) a lovely teacher ,most of her student’s favourite .. both Sana’s and Tanya’s as well. She loves to learn new things.. reads newspapers , articles , and keep herself updated with the current developments and issues… may be not everything ,but she genuinely tries her best to do so. She is keen on reading scholarly books on “Vedanta” too. Trying out her new recipes was fun .Talking to her in kitchen sitting on the kitchen slab while she cooked crispy doshas ( south indian dish) was Sana’s favourite memory ..which she loves doing even today. Now its the intro time for her dad’s mom ( koda ammuma- that’s how they  call her)..she loved watching TV and listening to music. Kids and their grandma’s favourite pastime was talking😄
It’s true, children who stay with their grandparents are the luckiest if you ask me.Every day as the last period bell rings, Sana and Tanya would rush back home just to see them waiting for them .
Years passed .. her dad’s parents and mom’ dad passed away. She never really thought she would lose them .. reminiscing on those times, she felt that all the fun that they had for all these years was simply not enough. She misses them all even today though it’s been 12 years since their demise.

She now lives with her hubby in Singapore. She considers her mom’s mom as a treasure that they have even today.. She was fortunate enough as her granny  had gone to Singapore to stay with them. They cooked together, explored new places in SG.Chinatown was her grandma’s favourite place for shopping. She loved their visit to Sea Aquarium, Sentosa Island, Gardens by the bay, Chinese and Japanese Garden. She even taught her granny to smile for selfies. Clicked beautiful selfies together. Her granny helped her with grocery shopping and taught her new easy cooking techniques and recipes. Their cab rides together, afternoon naps in her room, where she goes with the plan to sleep listening to her grandma’s stories but  end up talking and laughing. She considered  all these memories …the days with her granny a true blessing .Her grandma thoroughly enjoyed her stay with her grandchild as well.

After her short but happy visit to SG her granny goes back to India since its their temple festival season. Sana gets back home after leaving her granny to airport. She decides to get back to her usual daily chores. While cleaning her study table she picks up a framed photo on her table .There is a picture of her grandma and her standing and smiling at each other. She remembers that this pic was taken at the Sea Aquarium. She is happy coz of all the days that she happily spent with her grandma.. her mind is flooded with all the happy memories. She smiles and says to herself .. “ammuma take care ..have a safe journey ..I will wait to see you again .. for our next fun adventure together. Stay happy and healthy.. as we will always love you”.

Days passed since her grandma went back to India. Now that her granny has learnt video chatting.. that is how they spend their time.. she talks to Sana about the temple festivals and the proceedings.

Her life at SG with her hubby is fun as well. They go to movies.. enjoy with friends at SG. Life’s become busy again , but  she still enjoys eating KFC and Four Fingers. When she watches TV she still does notice the WWE .. she takes a break from her busy schedule to paint ( water colouring).She still plays Chess with her hubby .She knows that she does all this coz of the memories that she had with her grandparents. She smiles and continues to do so.
NOTE:

Life is beautiful especially  coz of these memories like that of Sana’s. We don’t really notice but we might be doings things like Sana….the things  that we did with people we loved even today.

No one can take control on life and decide on how long each individual lives.. Though we can still live life to the fullest by enjoying each  and every moment in life.. stay happy and be happy ..especially with your grandparents and parents.. Since in our busy work schedule we don’t realize they are getting old. For all the love and care they gave us in all these years the best thing we can give them is our time and love.

By: Aswathi Ashok.