Our maternal grandma

Our maternal grandma

Written from a  great poem in “Nam Nagarathar  Group”

By

P.R.Ramachander

( Nagarathar   are great business  community of Tamil Nadu  who  are extremely rich and extremely  cultured . Their contribution to Hinduism  is unparalleled . Do you know that Ganges water   from Allahabad  is taken daily to Kasi Viswanatha  Temple for anointing  by this community. They also are  maintaining  the great Visalakshi temple  in Varanasi. The  number of temples they have   got repaired   in India is countless. I have made the poem   a general one  , by  deleting references to that  community  in the  original poem.

   Please  read  it and all of you would start  the  great contribution that  the maternal   grand mother  does  in each of our lives and we all wish to thank her   again  and again.,)

I have   several relations like  ,

Aunts, uncles, brothers  , sisters  and cousin,

And I have always seen my  maternal grandmother ,

Always  obeying each and every one of them,.

And this is a small effort  in eulogizing her  by a poem.

When I was spending  my time,

Sleeping in the womb of my mother.

Oh Grandma who with  great care and concern,

Did   you not wait   for pregnancy to end.

Oh Grandma   who was greatly  supportive,

To my mother  to deliver   me out,

Oh Grand ma  who carefully   served ,

My mother  whose   entire  body was paining.

Oh Grandma who cooked food that does not  harm,

My mother who  was  still  not  completly Okay,

Oh Granma , who advised  her how   to,

Take care of me with care when I was a little babe,

Oh Grandma  of love and affection,

Who trained  my mother to properly feed,

Me   when I was  hungry and crying ,

And made  her   an expert  in taking care of me.

Oh affectionate   grandmother  mine ,

Who used   to get jittery    and tense  ,

If I cry  even after  taking milk thinking,

It may be insect bite  or indigestion  or stomach ache.

Oh Grand mother   who told   my mother,

Oh Daughter  do not get nervous ,

And do not make a big list of what it could be,

This is the way he would cry   for different problems.

Oh Grandmother   who  was  never  greatly bothered,

Whether I was given birth with love  or just like that  ,

Or   in a way   without   any problem whatsoever ,

And    would take   care  of me  with all attention.

Oh Grandma  who was  good and well-bred,

Who used  to invite the   entire village,

Take  them all inside the home  ,

Made me wear  silver anklets  and bangles  ,

And also made me wear  small  golden ring in my fingers,

And used   to become very happy  ,

After   kissing me with love  and handing me  to her daughter .

When my uncles   children ,

Were  down on earth and crying,

Oh Grand mother   , you  used  ,

To always keep me on your lap.

You would make  me sleep  ,

By singing lullaby , “Oh Gold,

Oh gem , Oh new   diamond  ,

Oh garland of flowers   made,

Of golden bells  which is difficult  to see,

Oh  grandma , you never used to bother  about yourself,

With a firm   conviction that   my comfort are much more important.

I have   never forgotten any of  my summer holidays,

And I have never spent my vacation without going to Grandma’s home.

Though you used   to play several  times  ,

Snake and ladders   and the game of Pallankuzhy,

Seeing the laughing   faces of your grand sons and  daughters,

You  would always   get   defeated  in those  games.

Every day   and every minute  you used to  got joy,

When you offer    several   and several types ,

Of sweets  and savouries  that   you make  after great toil,

And see   us eating   all of them  with great glee.

Without ever    forgetting  , Oh Grandma  ,

You used   to tell us   about the  greatness and fame of father,

And also tell us    in detail   the religious rituals,

That we   have to adopt  by telling stories  after stories.

When after   spending vacatin with you ,

When we  all refuse   to go back to our  homes,

Hiding   great sorrow   in your mind, Oh Grandma,

You used   to send us all back to our mother’s home.

The Sweets like  Manakolam and   the  unbroken Murukku,

THenkuzhal  and   cheedai that you used  to send with us  ,

Would greatly sweeten our  toungues for a  long time.

Right   from  the time   when we were  little ones.

Till  we grow up   and till we get married ,

You used   to suffocate  us with tonnes of presents.

With out getting any pay and   without taking any gifts,

 You  were  the full time   grandma   for us ,

And you used to toil   for the next generation ceaselessly.

With   experience   as   your only  education,

You used   to be a maternity  lady doctor,

Then  as paediatrician   and expert  ,

In bringing up  and nurturing your grand children.

You    would also   cook various  types of dishes  ,

And  we have never seen you taking  any rest at any time..

Summarising   you were  always  much greater  than a robot ,

With one terahertz speed  and  several   gita bytes  memory  ,

And  I am seeing you  grandma as a great philanthropist  .