Aaji- The Foster Grandmother #A-ZChallenge2018

Aaji means grandmother in Marathi. There is strange warmth in the name Aaji, it is like a soft blanket that we wrap during the winter months and sit in the sun, reading a book and drinking coffee. The Aaji in this story is also a lady as warm as winter Sun. Her presence always comforted me and my son. We had no blood relation with Aaji yet my son loved her more than his own grandmother. I lost my mother early in life and therefore always regretted that my son would miss the love from his maternal grandmother, however, Aaji fulfilled that void.

When I shifted as Aaji’s neighbour, I was a new, incompetent and confused mom. Most of the time I used to not be able to guess the reason for my son’s constant wailing. My son’s cries used to reach Aaji even through closed doors. And, she used to immediately come and ring my bell and ask “Kai Zhala?” (What happened?). Then she used to take my crying son lovingly in her arms and ask “Tū kā raḍata āhēsa?” (Why are you crying?). Immediately with her magic touch my son used to stop crying and look intently and lovingly at her face

When my son started crawling, he used to simply leave my house, crawl over the lobby and go to her house. After reaching Aaji’s house, he used to sit nicely folding his legs and eat whatever Aaji served him. He loved eating whatever Aaji gave him, even things that he usually refused to touch at home.

Aaji became my go-to person whenever my son fell sick. She always had some handy ‘dadima k nuske’ that invariably cured him. She discouraged me to go to a doctor for smallest of things and always advised herbal medicines. She even used to do ‘nazar utarna’ for him. My parents were atheists and I am neither religious nor superstitious, yet I never objected to Aaji’s belief in warding off the evil eye. The mother in me always gave priority to my son getting well than anything else.

When my son started talking he learned Marathi before his own mother tongue Bengali. Every day before going to his kindergarten he used to knock Aaji’s door and show her his dress.  Aaji used to smile approvingly and say “chhan” (nice). A broad smile used to spread on my son’s face like a rainbow and then he used to hop excitedly to school.

Soon it became a ritual for my son to buy an extra piece of chocolate or an extra packet of chips for Aaji. He then used to come back, show it to Aaji and tell her that he bought it for her. But then he used to immediately open it and start eating. If Aaji said ‘but you bought it for me’ my son’s prompt reply used to be ‘old people fall sick if they eat this junk’. Aaji used to burst into a wild laugh and kiss my son.

I am usually a patient Mom. I do not lose my cool easily, however, one day I lost my cool and started yelling at my son. Aaji heard and came rushing to my house. My son ran to her arms and tightly clung to her, like a joey clinging to a kangaroo. He was rubbing his face on Aaji’s chest and crying non-stop. Looking at his condition and my outburst Aaji couldn’t control her tears and she also started crying. And, when I saw them crying, I also started crying. It was quite a scene with all of us crying.

We stayed next to Aaji for about three years. The day we were shifting our house, Aaji didn’t open her door the whole day. My son was too small to understand the repercussion of shifting. He was going and knocking Aaji’s door but she didn’t open. I am sure it was heartbreaking for her to see us moving out.

She came to visit us in our new home within a week. My son was too happy to see her. He started babbling how he was missing going to her place right after waking up and completing his residual sleep on her sofa. He was talking non-stop and Aaji was listening patiently. I saw tears welling up in Aaji’s eyes. I wonder if it was tears of sorrow or joy.

Image: Shutterstock

 

 

44 thoughts on “Aaji- The Foster Grandmother #A-ZChallenge2018”

  1. Shalzmojo says:
    Reply

    What a lovely story Balaka; I had tears in my eyes when you described the bond of your son and Aaji. How kids gravitate towards someone they know will love them unconditionally. Heartbreaking to read about her not opening her door when you were moving – are you still in touch with her?

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Moon says:
    Reply

    What a lovely tribute to a truly spiritual soul. What a blessing it is to have more -than-a-family bond with someone who could have been a stranger. I am happy your son enjoyed his early childhood with such a loving grandmother. I loved how he cautioned her on not falling into the junk food trap. The last line was beautiful. A very moving tale. I shall look forward to a month of reading joy at your blog. Happy A-Zing.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Meena says:
    Reply

    Beautiful, really touching. I was so touched. When my kids were young they had one such foster grandma in our flat too.

    Just one thing though. I did not see your post among all other posts in blogchatter. Did you forget to do the linky?

    Liked by 1 person

  5. syncwithdeep says:
    Reply

    Lovely post on foster relationship balakha. I have seen many fostering parents here in Singapore. Sometimes i have given a thought of fostering a child who had abusive parents. Hope my thoughts come true some day. Loving you aaji.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. writershilpa says:
    Reply

    Awww! This is really the most touching post I have read today, Balaka! I had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat as I finished reading it. Aaji reminded me of the aaji who was our neighbour, as well as another aaji who lived next door. These two senior women were our support systems when we moved to Bombay, back in 1977. How much they helped mum and us…Soft spoken, caring, loving and so helpful. Angels in disguise!

    Liked by 2 people

  17. rituprapanna says:
    Reply

    such a heart touching post and I felt each and every emotion you had expressed, also, a great and unique theme, looking forward to reading more from you and wishing u best luck for a challenge. here is my post for challengehttps://surbhiprapannablogs.blogspot.com/2018/03/blogchatteratozchallenge-introduction.html

    Liked by 2 people

  20. Neha says:
    Reply

    Such a touching story. I guess in the rush of modern life, it’s the few bonds like these that still somehow form to remind us what relationships between human beings are all about.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Esha M Dutta says:
    Reply

    What a lovely post to kickstart the #AtoZ challenge, Tina! Loved the story and how you brought it to life!! Bhishon bhalo laglo. Looking forward to your stories over the coming weeks. Will stop by as and when time permits to cheer on from the sidelines. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Aesha says:
    Reply

    I love the theme you have chosen to write. Sharing stories about your relationships with various people you met in your life would have made you relive the memories. Such a heartfelt post. I felt sad that you had to leave such a loving Aaji.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Balaka says:
      Reply

      Thanks Aesha, I am glad that you like my theme. Actually the theme of my blog is to look back at my own life and curate memories. That is why I named it Trina Looks Back. Good to get connected with you through A-Z.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Shweta Suresh says:
    Reply

    Awww! That’s such a touching story. I feel for her. Aaji. I do! Such a poignant story, beautifully and elegantly crafted with so much detail. I love it! This story here, is real gold! Well done, my dear! A great start to the challenge. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

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