Kaku Aaji

Words can heal, though I could never really depict the love that she was. There are very few people in this world who get to experience the love of their great grandmother and I was one of the luckiest few. For the past twenty six years, she has been a constant presence, a wall of support and love in my life.

Every time I visited her, I was greeted with the warmest and most heartfelt hugs. She would then look at me from top to bottom and announce that I was too thin to survive in this world. Oh, the love of great grandmothers! I knew in my heart that even if I turned out to be a baby elephant, she would be pronouncing me as the thinnest elephant she had come across.

Most times, our hugs and kisses would be followed by her taking me to her room. The room was exclusively hers, everyone referred to it as ‘Kaku Aaji’s’ room. Even outsiders knew it. But she welcomed one and all in her homely abode.

As we would sit down on her bed to talk about my life, she would happily pull out the Kailash Jeevan bottle from the bedside table and ask me to apply it to my dry hands. She loved Kailash Jeevan and I loved it because she did. Her peculiar habits were the most lovable bits about her. Our topics of conversation were wide and ranged from the newest fashion trends to the political drama in the world.

She would start off by asking me about my work, always being proud of my achievements. She would tell me that I was an example of how modern Indian women were winning the world. I am not so cool, but nonetheless, I would blush with happiness and nod to her praise. I would then tell her about my travel experiences. She would listen intently and ask me questions about different people that I met and about the cultures of different nations. I would tell her everything and she would absorb the information like a sponge.

This friendly banter usually turned to a heated discussion when it came to politics. Though she was a staunch BJP supporter, she would grudgingly agree that Arvind was doing the right kind of politics. She always knew what was happening around the world and if anyone in the house wanted to know the important news of the day, they would go to her.

She was too cool for her age, really. When I decided to keep my hair long, she would argue with me. ‘Why do you want long hair? Who keeps long hair in Mumbai? I have seen today’s women; short hair is today’s style. Go cut your hair.’ I always laughed and told her that I would change things. She never disapproved of my clothes either, she would always tell me what looked good or bad on me and her advice was always taken seriously.

During our family gatherings, we used to sit late nights and play cards. During the course of the night, she would quietly come out of her room and join us all. She would then start playing too and in the twenty six years that I have known her, she hasn’t lost a single game. It’s like magic! Sometimes she would have the worst cards and we would be like, ‘Yes! Now she will lose.’ But miraculously, every time she would finish her cards and sit smugly amongst us. Waiting for us, the losers, to wrap up the game. We have even tried to gang up against her, but have been none the wiser. She was way too good for us.

She was a very strong willed woman and the most beautiful part was that she made each one her own. To the most distant cousin’s wife’s son’s daughter to the neighbor next door, she was known to one and all as ‘Kaku Aaji’. She would greet everyone with so much love and affection that you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world. Though I would like to believe that what we had was a very special kind of bond.

When I was a kid she used to sing to me this lullaby, which she later taught me so that I could sing it to my younger brother. In the last couple of months, I would sing the same to her and watch her fall asleep like a little child. Her love has taught us a lot of things, the most important being humility and love for all. She taught us to be non-discriminating, she taught us to love life and to live to the fullest. Her energy was contagious and we would feel ashamed of ourselves when we saw her climbing four floors when she was 90 while we were breathless after the first two floors.

It feels absolutely weird to continue routine life, while at the back of my mind I miss her so much. But the fact that she has taught me to be happy, puts everything in perspective. I know for a fact that she will always look after us and there shall not be a moment in my life that she would not be loved.

For love that is eternal, you will always be there with me.