My Woman Celebrity

Women’s day has started gaining popularity in the last few years(thanks to the IT culture   ). Major credits go to the media for popularizing the day… Right from a week before, we have award functions for women entertainers, successful women… Articles and columns about women who have made it to the top… Of course, special movies(to increase the TRP  ) of beautiful heroines as a part of women’s day celebration.

Let me not talk about the same set of women again and again…I’ll spare them for the media to cash in  So I decided to write about a woman who is no less than a celebrity to me… My grandma… Saradha… fondly called as “Paati” by one and all.

 My Paati- An intro

My paati , in her traditional Madisaar (9-yards saree), modern thinking and fast walking is no less than a style icon. I’ll have to literally run to catch up with her pace during walking. When she holds me for support, it will look to the world as if I am holding her for my support as she’ll literally drag me and walk fast  She is a woman who works, works and works but without bothering about the results…Trust me, its very difficult to be like that… We always look for credits or appreciation even if the work we have done is small ! When we don’t get the expected outcome, we become dejected…At many such times, I wonder how on earth my paati could be so very selfless and so very saintly!

 Paati-The Universal Giver

She works from early morning to late night with the same energy and zeal and most importantly without grumbling about the work. As you know, in olden days, every family used to be a huge family with umpteen relatives walking in and out. She ensures that whoever walks in, never walks out empty stomach. Let it be a cylinder delivery boy or the maid who works in the neighbour’s house… Everybody leaves the house with yummy food in the stomach and vibuti (Holy ash  ) on the forehead as a token of her blessing During the days when my mom and others were studying, they lived in a house near a temple…(Recently my cousins and me paid a visit to that house, now occupied by somebody else and she was very excited to show us the place) My paati, after a tedious morning course of work, she’ll sit down to eat…At that time, few mentally ill people who reside near the temple, will come to the window and complain to my paati that they haven’t eaten anything from the morning… My paati, without any second thought, will give away the food which she was about to eat, to them…That too, with the same love and care with which she feeds her kids! Even today, when me or any of my cousins go to my paati’shouse, we’ll be given something or the other to eat every half- an hour… If we cousins are busy chatting or playing , she’ll promptly come, feed us (irrespective of our age) and go for the next work while we continue playing or chatting… 

 Sarvae Bhavantu Sukinaha (All should be well)

I have never seen my paati gossiping or back-biting about anybody… She always talks and thinks only good  She feels everybody around her is good… She’ll enquire everybody’s well-being with utmost care and attention  Even if its the maid who works in my house, she’ll make her sit and will enquire with care about her family… This makes her a huge hit wherever she goes 

 Paati goes to U.S.

Can’t believe it? Yes, my paati, at the age of 70, travelled to U.S to meet my uncle(her son) all by herself in the flight… Even today, talking to U.S. clients or U.S. helpdesk, makes us, who boast of being proficient in english, go jittery… Just imagine, an old woman who has not travelled anywhere much and not at all fluent in english, flew to U.S. and so much so, she spread her charm there also! Everybody became so close to her there, that they felt bad when she left US to return back to India. If Obama complains about the sudden increase of Indians coming to U.S. … Thanks to my Paati  After her trip to U.S, whenever a boy/girl falls on her feet, she immediately blesses them saying “You will study well and go to U.S. ”  

 Dr. Paati MBBS

My Paati is no less than an MBBS doctor when it comes to curing any disease. She has a cure for all the disease with her kashayam (medicinal herb juice)… When a kid is born, during its initial days, she bathes and massages them with so much expertise that can make any pediatrician look with awe. When her servant maid returned to work with a 3 month old baby, my paati used to take care of the baby till she finishes her work… She can make any sick child, a very healthy one within few weeks. She is also a perfect dietitian not only for us but also for the neighbours. Have you ever heard of somebody asking menu to be cooked to the neighbour? Don’t laugh… My paati has! When a lady next door was pregnant, she used to everyday ask her what she feels like eating and the first tiffin she makes , will be given to that pregnant lady only.

 Paati.. The woman of substance!

For a person who feels family is the world, the loss of her husband must have been unbearable. But I was stunned by the composure with which she handled it. I was a very small kid, but I still remember this incident. After few hours of my Thatha’s demise, she regained back her strength and went back to work… She made sure everybody had coffee and in fact was consoling my mom and my aunt saying “Its just a part of life…don’t cry much, you’ll get headache” and made them drink coffee…That made me think What a woman!

 Lessons learnt

There are lots of things that I have learnt from her…But to be a woman like her is very very difficult! But, I’ll atleast try to incorporate whatever I have learnt…Guess that itself can do wonders! 

There are so many women around you whose value is not yet realised. They may be doing, what we term as “routine”, but still without them life becomes impossible. Respect them and Value them!

Happy Women’s Day