Summer vacations were incomplete without Paati. When me and sis were in school, we used to wait for Neela Paati to come visit us. It was a ritual to give her a hand-made greeting card with some cliched lines about how much we loved her. This, we would keep under the landline phone which used to be placed right near the door as one enters. The train from Ahmedabad were my uncle stayed would reach early in the morning but we would want to surprise her. 20+ years since then I found all of those greeting cards neatly placed in Neela Paati's old diaries. Need I say more about the bond...
Often, my sister and I are appreciated for having a good command over speaking Tamil albeit with some Hinglish words appearing in between. Our immediate reply would be , 'oh everyone speaks Tamil at home and we stay with our grand parents'. We were almost proud to be part of a joint family. There was one summer where Neela Paati bought a Tamil text book and took lessons for us, not to forget even kept a test! She wanted us to know at-least the basics of reading and writing Tamil. Her secret hope was for us to read one of her favorite Tamil novels "poniyin selvam" sometime in life. The novel, I found 20+ years later neatly placed with neela paati's old diaries. Hope we can read it one day...
"Dayankattan" or what we know as "ludo". Paati used to draw the whole setup on a black board of cloth with chalk piece in a matter of few minutes. Me and sis had a background process running in our mind whenever we were out, to collect unique pieces like shells, pebbles, tamarind seeds etc. that we could use for this game. Endless games of dayakttan with the traditional dice that Paati had was always fun. The dice, I found 20+ years later along with Neela paati's old diaries. Somethings are priceless...
"Saamba siva yena ve", "mara vere yen naalilume" were iconic songs of Neela Paati and we loved to hear her sing those Carnatic songs. She ensured that we not only learnt but also practiced singing. Both Paati and Amma were extremely particular that we dont "naani konafy" in short shy from singing when asked to. We learnt Carnatic music for almost 8 years. She would try to keep surprise tests for us, like asking us to find the raaga of a song being sung in "podhigai" during festival seasons. While we found it daunting and tough those days, today we sub consciously try to find out raagas of different songs. I found 20+ years later geetham books with Neela Paatis old diaries. Love for music runs in genes...
"Adharam madhuram", "Jai Bolo Hanuman ki". I would speak for my sister when I say that when we hum these slokas, it would sound in Neela Paatis voice rather than MS Subalakshmi's. Every morning Paati sang a host of devotional songs. We have hardly ever sat to recite any but knew most of them by heart due to her routine of singing every day. It would start from Mudhakaratha modhakam and move to Adharam madhuram, Vishnu sahasranamam and then Hanuman chalisa. Me and sis would wait for Maarghai maasam since she would sing "Maalemani vaana, maargahi". No wonder the day would go by beautifully as one woke up to these songs. I found 20+ years later, Paati still singing although with lesser energy but with same devotion.
"Baala Nagamma", "chotu badu" "athiri baacha" "kozha kozha kanne, kanin thaaye" were Neela Paatis signature stories for kids. I would speak for my cousins when I say that afternoon lunches and bedtime during vacations would be dull without listening to one or more of her stories. We would have listened to those stories a 100 times but still demand for the same one. Story-telling is definitely a skill. She always told the story with same fervor, never missing a single small detail. We could picture the story coming to life. I found 20+ years later, my dad telling stories to his grandsons with a striking similarity. Story-telling, he definitely picked from Paati...
"Kolam" was Neela Paatis favorite. During each festival, me and sis would sit beside her as she drew amazing Kolams. She had a habit of trying out different varieties and teaching us. She was always someone would adapt to trends. When me and sis transitioned to teens, we found "rangoli" more trending so she used those color powders and engaged us in the activity. I found 20+ years later, Kolam articles from Kumudham/ Kalki neatly stacked in Neela Paatis old diaries and a book full of her handmade Kolams. A priced possession...
"Ribbon Pakodaam", "thengoyal", "mysore pa" were Neela Paati's forte in Bhakshanams. We would wait with our tongues out like hungry dogs, almost salivating for Diwali to come so we could gorge on the Bhakshanams she made. She loved making them (I suppose 😊) because it would be an endless task for her and mom in the kitchen. We would start eating as soon as she made and there was no count to how much we had. Yet, by end of the session, there would still be two huge Aluminum dabba full of Bhakshanam! With generosity she would offer one and all who came home. I found 20+ years later, me and sis trying out the same recipe to get atleast 1% of the same taste as paati.
"Javarshi karudaam", "arusi karudaam", the month of April had more than one reason to look forward to. Me, sis, Neela Paati and Amma used to wake up early in the morning and go to the terrace to make karudaams. It would go on for a week at-least for 2 hours everyday. It was mine and sis's duty to find stones to ensure the vadaams don't fly off. Every evening we would pack it up and bring it down and display it in the bedroom. Bunch of them would disappear by the time the whole process was done because me and sis used to it eat it as is. The day the first batch would be fried was almost like a festival by itself. 20+ years now, the love for the activity still exists, maybe I should try the backyard...
Neela Paati knew all of our school and college friends personally. She never failed to ask about them and their tales. We used to write her letters when she was away and she would reply as well. It was really fun to have a pen pal during the tech age. I found 20+ years later, all those letters safely kept with Neela Paatis old diaries.
Croatia, knitting, gardening, stitching to name a few of Neela Paati's talents. She used to stitch small frocks and skirt+blouse sets for our Barbie dolls and we would be overjoyed to play with them. The frocks had pretty laces as well. We learnt knitting and cross-stitch from Paati and also did a few summer projects. I found 20+ years later, all those projects ironed and placed inside one of Neela Paatis old diaries.
Neela Paati loved dance of any form be it Bharatnatyam or dancing to a Kutthu number, she encouraged and appreciated both equally. She heartily enjoyed the dance event during both my sister's and my wedding. We did a special few minutes for her when she came out and what we saw in her smile and eyes was pure joy. She loved wearing marudhani, she knew how to enjoy life and make each moment matter. 20+ years later, I danced a bharatnatyam number for her at home which I learnt and performed in US.
"Fifty-six" was a family card game we played for hours together at night. The teams were always pre-decided. Me, dad and Neela Paati; Thatha, mom and sis. Me and pPaati would always be at the receiving end of dad's scoldings since we would as famously called "sodhapafy" a lot. My sister on other hand, one of the ace player...defended us more than she played for her own team. After every game, there would be a heated argument between sis and dad as to why dad is scolding Paati.....Paati was a light-hearted player and would gayly laugh it off!! 20+ years later, her uncontrollable laughs closing her eyes with her hands and tears rolling down with laughing... ring my ears melodiously.
As I write these myriad dimensions of Paati, she feels so much alive in my mind. I can see her smiling, while she sat down in Kitchen and made the Bhakshanams....I can see her laughing uncontrollably on one of Mohan Chitpa's jokes....I can see one of her typical pressed lips smile.....I can see her in deep thoughts....I can see her constantly being on her toes....
20+ years now, so many memories itched in my heart,
how do I cover them all without leaving any part?
Grandparents presence in our lives is a blessing. Their imprints are felt in the way we live today..
Legacy is not in our surname but in the kind of life we lead.
