She wept copious tears at my wedding , even more than my mom! When I asked amma why she cried so much, amma told me that she was so happy at the wedding especially since I was a late arrival to the world and their first grandchild born after much prayer!
My paati as I remember her was always draped in a typical nine yards saree, madisaru. She loved her jewellery and wore many gold bangles as well as chains. Diamond earrings and nose rings adorned her face. A huge red pottu with her hair tied in a neat bun. The bun always had false hair in it. I used to enjoy combing the false hair, rolling it up and keeping it safely for her. A net would be set up on the bun, neatly tucked in with U hair pins. Finally a gajra of mullapoo or kanakambaram would surround the bun!
Her sarees were grand. She had amazing silk sarees in the most vibrant colours. She was poona paati to me, but she was Seth maami in Pune. My tatha was Seth Maama, having set up his own business there. She was Manni to all. Even her own children followed their uncles and called her Manni and my tatha was called Anna by the whole family.
Tatha was usually an angry man who snapped with most people, but with his grandchildren he had all the patience in the world. Paati was his backbone, pandering to all his fancies and whims.He too took care of her like a gem. After all she lived with him since the age of 14! They grew up together!
Poona meant vacations and cousins. When my mom and us, and all my aunts with their kids would assemble at Pune for every single vacation, be it summer, Diwali or Christmas.
Paati used to keep feeding us. Apart from the regular breakfasts, lunches and dinners, there would be a constant flow of snacks from the kitchen. Murrukkus, vadams, karuvadams, thenguyal, manoharam, mysore pak, barfi, theratipal and many more would keep coming into stainless steel boxes. It was almost like she woke up with an agenda of making some new item each day.
Evenings would be dosas, idlis, bondas, bhajjis and such savouries which we would happily devour before evening trips to the local temples or gardens.
We never returned from Pune without two or three extra bags of snacks or fruits that would last for almost a month or two.By then we would be ready for the next vacation!
She stayed with us very frequently at Trivandrum. Even there, she would hatch up plans for snack making with my mother and the two of them would conjure up something by the time my sister and me returned home. These were apart from all the snacks she was already carrying with her.
She showed her love and care through her food and her gifts.
She bore six children, four daughters and two sons. She saw grandchildren and even great grandchildren. One of my prized possessions is a snap of my paati, amma ,me and my daughter!
She died a Sumangali on a Friday, like she always wanted and went away in her brightest saree and her big red pottu. I am glad she went away thus as it would have been painful for all of us to see her in any other way!
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