My grandma lived to be a centenarian. With age, her mental agility only became more pronounced. Time could not wither her charms. Even at the ripe old age of 85, not a single hair had turned grey. A fragile figure, she led the life of an ascetic. Hypertension, sugar and even seasonal fevers dared not get anywhere near her; she hardly got injections. She had absolute faith in home remedies and ayurveda to the total exclusion of allopathy. Chyawanaprash, a renowned ayurvedic preparation, was her favourite tonic all along.
My grandpa, while alive, used to say in a lighter vein that grandma was an MSc, meaning mother of six children. More the number of children, more motherly did she become—so much warmth, so much affection. Rain or shine, she would be up by 4.30 am and start rolling her rudraksha beads, chanting a Shiva mantra that was a closely guarded secret. After the rituals (anga nyasa and kara nyasa) her face would be more radiant than ever, revealing the glowing personality within. At times, I would pester her for the mantras. But she never yielded, saying it must be received from a realised Guru by way of initiation.
Her age notwithstanding, grandma would help her daughters-in-law in their daily chores. She even groomed one of my brothers, who later became a famous orthopaedist at Stanley, Chennai. An absolute vegetarian, she had a strict diet regimen that had less of boiled rice and more of leafy vegetables, with a slight touch of ghee. Quality mattered most.
We used to spend summer vacations at grandma’s residence, enjoying her warmth and stories. She had dozens of grandkids and their children. She could be likened to a big banyan tree. Though rooted in a small village near Tenkasi, she had her branches and sub-branches spread all over the nation (and abroad) in the form of her sons, daughters, in-laws, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Grandma was never after money. When deprived of a family property by a legal loophole, she simply set it aside and said: Everything happens for the best. My grandma was a sthitaprajna in the terminology of the Bhagavad Gita. She always remained calm and maintained her inner poise.One fine morning grandma had some difficulties in waking up from bed and that proved to be her last day on earth. She had lived in full and her life was exemplary.