Mumma, as long as your memories are with us I shall say, life is good. I mused about your wedding yesterday. Your life before you got married had its own charm and highlights.
You had a simple childhood with your siblings, four brothers and a sister. Not only you, but all of us have enjoyed your family. Manoj recalls that for all of the summer vacations you and the boys would go to Agra and have fun in the old ancestral house in पन्नी गली (name of a famous by lane). It was unbelievable how the narrow lane where barely two people could walk side by side led to a big palatial house with a huge courtyard. All the precious memories are coming alive again in this exercise – sleeping on the टट्टर (steel frame covering the courtyard that would double up as the roof of the house), collecting peacock feathers on the roof that was frequented by lots of peacocks in the evening where they would shed their feathers. Under the tyrant rule of नानी (grandma) the kids could not touch anything in the kitchen without washing their hands every single time. There were no basins or running taps so it meant tilting the लोटा (a round steel pot with neck and a rim to pour) with the elbow to get the water.
मामा (paternal uncle) used to bring the choicest of mangoes in summers for all of us to enjoy, we would sit together in the courtyard eating them as afternoon turned to dusk. The same leisurely routine was also followed during the winter visits when we enjoyed the warmth of sun and cherished eating fresh मूली (white raddish) and अमरूद (guavas) with chat masala and juicy oranges. Lunch would be a simple मटर वाली ताहिरी (basmati rice pulav with peas) but the taste of it still lingers in our mouths.
Mumma, with you not around, it is crazy to accept how someone who was such a huge part of your life can be gone, just like that. So many hearts are hurting thinking of you. And yet we’re also so thankful for the incredible memories that you have left behind.