Memories are fascinating treasures which . They shape us, change us, make us who we are and even drive us towards goals. But what makes them so special is that they are ours and ours alone. But memories fade. They can be changed by a slight loss or gain of knowledge, an accidental loss of consciousness or a disease which causes people to forget who they are. Dementia is a commonly faced problem by a large population of the aged. The effects of this condition range from short term memory loss to a complete loss of memory.
This post is dedicated to the woman who gave birth to and raised my mother. The woman who made sacrifices for her family and a woman who always prioritized her family. My grandmother.
My grandma was born in the year 1935, prior to India's independence in Thiruvarur, a district in Tamil Nadu. The second of 8 children in the family and the first born girl, my grandmother was brought up with a great deal of love and affection by her parents. Her father, was the rail master of the district and her mother a regular Brahmin housewife. Brought up in a rather large house, she would spend her free time playing in the nearby garden with the children of the local Englishmen. She attended the All Ladies school which was a walk down the street from her and was always surrounded with friends. She excelled in her studies, especially in Hindi, a subject she would go to tuition for and ace the exams. By the time she had completed her education, she had reached a level where she could have easily been accepted into any prestigious college in the state. But, due to financial constraints and her parents having to fund the education of her younger siblings, she had to give up her education and began her own tutoring classes which attracted a great deal of students.
By the time she was 23, she was married to a high ranking officer of the Indian Army, one who had fought in the Sino Indian War. Due to her husband's involvement in the army, my grandmother along with her in laws had to move from one state to another. 3 years into the marriage, she was still not with child and there were taunts from my grandfather's family. But after a visit to one of the holy rivers, she was pregnant with her first child, a son who was born in 1966. Soon after she gave birth to two beautiful daughters, my mother being one of them. As she traveled from city to city, her children enjoyed a variety of company and she would entertain guests- wives of other army officials. They would sit down and sip on tea and talk about a range of topics. There were periods of times when my grandfather would be placed in a region where there were no family quarters. My grandmother was never afraid, she was brave and took care of her children at these times. Her son followed in the footsteps of his father and joined the Indian Army as well. Her daughters both became teachers.
As her children grew up, marriages were arranged and soon she gave away her daughters to different families and her son continued his work in the army. She lived with my grandfather who had retired from the army and led a peaceful life with her father in law and husband. However, her husband passed away in a few years time and she was left with a majority of responsibilities. Her children would drop by from time to time to help her with household chores, but she never gave up her routine. She would visit the temple every Thursday and everyday she would take care of her aged father in law. She'd cook and clean the house, but eventually, she was left alone.
Slowly yet certainly, her memory fades. There are those occasional flashes of memory, but someone needs to be with her to trigger them and remind her over and over again that she's not alone.
To be continued.....
This post is dedicated to the woman who gave birth to and raised my mother. The woman who made sacrifices for her family and a woman who always prioritized her family. My grandmother.
My grandma was born in the year 1935, prior to India's independence in Thiruvarur, a district in Tamil Nadu. The second of 8 children in the family and the first born girl, my grandmother was brought up with a great deal of love and affection by her parents. Her father, was the rail master of the district and her mother a regular Brahmin housewife. Brought up in a rather large house, she would spend her free time playing in the nearby garden with the children of the local Englishmen. She attended the All Ladies school which was a walk down the street from her and was always surrounded with friends. She excelled in her studies, especially in Hindi, a subject she would go to tuition for and ace the exams. By the time she had completed her education, she had reached a level where she could have easily been accepted into any prestigious college in the state. But, due to financial constraints and her parents having to fund the education of her younger siblings, she had to give up her education and began her own tutoring classes which attracted a great deal of students.
By the time she was 23, she was married to a high ranking officer of the Indian Army, one who had fought in the Sino Indian War. Due to her husband's involvement in the army, my grandmother along with her in laws had to move from one state to another. 3 years into the marriage, she was still not with child and there were taunts from my grandfather's family. But after a visit to one of the holy rivers, she was pregnant with her first child, a son who was born in 1966. Soon after she gave birth to two beautiful daughters, my mother being one of them. As she traveled from city to city, her children enjoyed a variety of company and she would entertain guests- wives of other army officials. They would sit down and sip on tea and talk about a range of topics. There were periods of times when my grandfather would be placed in a region where there were no family quarters. My grandmother was never afraid, she was brave and took care of her children at these times. Her son followed in the footsteps of his father and joined the Indian Army as well. Her daughters both became teachers.
As her children grew up, marriages were arranged and soon she gave away her daughters to different families and her son continued his work in the army. She lived with my grandfather who had retired from the army and led a peaceful life with her father in law and husband. However, her husband passed away in a few years time and she was left with a majority of responsibilities. Her children would drop by from time to time to help her with household chores, but she never gave up her routine. She would visit the temple every Thursday and everyday she would take care of her aged father in law. She'd cook and clean the house, but eventually, she was left alone.
Slowly yet certainly, her memory fades. There are those occasional flashes of memory, but someone needs to be with her to trigger them and remind her over and over again that she's not alone.
To be continued.....
why the abrupt end..???
ReplyDelete