“Me And My Grand Pa”

I hail from a very large family also called a joint family in India. My paternal grand parents had two sons and five daughters. All of them were married by the time I was born. Traditionally in India, all daughters relocate to their in-laws house or move along with their husbands after their marriages. Both my father and my uncle (father’s brother) continued to stay together along with my grand parents even after their respective marriages. It made logical sense for them to stay together as they were both continuing the business that my grandfather started. I am the daughter of the elder son of my grandparents. My father’s family consisted of me, my parents, and my two younger brothers. My uncle’s family consisted of my uncle, my aunty and their two daughters. We were in total eleven members living as one family.

Everyday was enjoyable with so many members in the house. We were three families, and we used to have many occasions to celebrate; birthday and marriage day celebrations were common along with the many Indian festivals that are celebrated during the year.

The head of our family was my “Grand Pa”. He was very caring and a happy man. He ensured that all of us followed ethical values and corrected us when ever required. His judgment of various problems was always very precise and correct due to his vast experience. He was a great believer in Almighty God and always encourages us to spend time at the alter in the house. After his retirement from active business life, he spend a lot of time with all his the grand children. I am definitely his favorite grand child and lucky to be a recipient to his love and affection. I have inculcated most of my values from him.

I can recollect some very special moments with my grand father. When I was about 8 years old, he used to make me sit in his lap and say very interesting and funny stories.  After completing the story, he would ask me if I understood the moral of the story. He would be ready to repeat the story if I had any concern and ensured I understood the story and it’s moral.

Almost everyday during my childhood, he used to spend a lot of the time at the Alter praying to God. He used to give me a chance to decorate the alter with beautiful flowers before his prayers. He never missed out an opportunity to teach me slokas and hymns when I was at the alter room. We both used to utter most of the hymns together which helped me learn faster. I still remember that the first hymn that he taught me was “Gayatri Manta”.

Om Burbuvatsuvaha

Tatsaviturvarenyam

Bhargo Cevasya Dhemahe

Dhiyoyonah Prachodayat.

At night, I used to sleep along with my grand parents and listen to their interesting stories from the Puranas as Mahabharatha, Ramayana, and Bhagavatha. After falling asleep by their side I used to be transported back to my bed. These are the instances I can recollect as some good moments prior to when I was ten years of age.

My Grand Pa had a look alike twin brother. They looked so much alike that most of the members in the family used to get confused in recognizing them. I can boast of not having had the confusion even once. We used to celebrate our Grand Pa’s birthday along with his twin brother every year. They celebrated their birthday on “Collanga Amavasya”, according to the Hindu astrological positioning of the stars during their birth time. This day/date would change every year and would fall in the months of January or February. All of us, including my Grand pa’s brother’s families, used to gather at our home to have fun for some time and enjoy the occasion.

When I was in my tenth and intermediate, my grand pa started to spend more time at the house leaving the business matters to his sons. This is the time I got very attached to my grand father. He used to call me with a special nickname “Deepu”. He happens to be the only person to call me with that nickname.

He expected me to show myself to him every morning to wish him “Good Morning”. Before leaving to my college I used to inform him. On some occasions when I needed to rush to the college, I used to miss informing him before leaving to college. My grand pa used to enquire within the house about where I am, and why I could not see him before leaving to college. In the evenings, he used to sit on the house portico and wait for my arrival from college. If I got delayed he would get restless and would expect a proper reasoning or a sorry for being late on my return.

My grandpa used to like my handwriting and always complimented me for my good writing. He wanted his dairies which contained hymns and prayers written in my hand writing. When he got older, I used to also write down all his mail letters while he used to dictate.

While I was doing my B.Tech, he became very weak and had cataract problems in his eyes. He was also highly diabetic and his feet were needed regular massage for better blood circulation. I used to take care of him by applying moisturizer to his feet. I used to cut his nails once a week. I used to apply oil to his legs to avoid them from getting dry. I used to go along with him to our family doctor for his regular check-up. I used to take responsibility to bring all his monthly medicines for BP and diabetes and explain him how to use them.

We used to sing bhajans in the praise of God at our house regularly. He used to like my voice and the manner in which I sang bhajans. I used to sing bhajans for him and he used to relax and listen to my singing. Sometimes, he used to ask me for a particular bhajan of his choice. One such bhajan which he liked a lot was:

Sankata Harana Sri Sai Ramana

Pankaja Charana Namo Namo

Vedo Dharana Venkata Ramana

Lakshmi (Sai) Narayana Namo Namo

Namo Namo Namo Namo

Pankaja Charana Namo Namo !

It is a bhajan in praise of Lord Venkateswara of Tirupathi.

When doing my B.Tech, I used to travel around 75 Kms daily to reach my college. In the first three semesters, the college administration did not have college bus facility. I needed to catch a Govt RTC bus to reach my college. Since, I was traveling long distances on a public transport, my grandpa used to be a bit worried till I returned home. He was always at the portico of the house waiting to see me return. Later, in my fourth semester the college administration had provided us a college bus to our area. I still observed that my grand pa used to wait for me at the portico, swaying on his rocking chair. It perhaps turned a habit for him by then.

In my final semester, I got engaged and was to get married after completion of my B.Tech. On just listening to the good news about the proposal for the engagement, my grandpa was the happiest man. He called me to his room, held me in his hands for some time with joyful eyes. I remember that happy gesture till today as I never saw such happiness in him, all my life. He was happy for me and the proposal. Later, we had the engagement function at our house in his presence. It was perhaps the last function he attended since he suddenly collapsed with a heart failure just around two months before the marriage date. Something that I could not digest and none of us in our family could either. Things had to move on and till today every one feels his presence guiding us and reminding us of the way of life which he led to perfection.

I never missed seeking his blessings every time, especially during my birthdays. Here is a very cute photo taken on my "First Birthday". Its me along with my Grand Pa.

He was a great man for me. He was respected by all who came to see him which made me feel proud as his grand daughter. I even till today take his name in my native place and tell proudly that I am his grand daughter. The best part of his life was his living by example. He practiced the principles he expected us to have. I believe a lot of him reflects in my current behavior. He would be seen always in my acts and deeds. He is always present in my mind and thoughts. I understand life has to move on and each day of my life.

I Miss You Grand Pa. Thank You For All That You Gave Me.