A miracle called "LIFE'..

Chapter 4

                                     Now, before you all begin to read this Chapter , how many of us have sat with our grandfather/mother on a sunny summer afternoon, with a tender coconut at our sides and listened to them talk.

For once, just push aside all your X-Boxes, Game of Thrones and Clash of Clans and try this.... Just sit beside you grandparent, and be like " Thatha ( or however you address your grandparent), What was your favourite game when you were at school or have you ever met Paati before your wedding? ", Watch his expression . It is priceless. Trust me, I have done it!

So, Yeah .. back to the story .....

                 The supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Septuagenarian !!!!!

Vasantha Paati is 72 years old .She works as a domestic helper in our house. Apart from that she does a lot of other jobs too... Her day begins at 4:00 in the morning. Every morning she wakes up , takes a cold water bath ... cooks for herself and Rani.( She had lost her son and daughter in law in an accident) Gets Rani ready for school, feeds her ... drops her off in the government school two streets away from where she lives. And then she hurries to the garment industry where she works part time ..... and then at around 12:00 , she hurries to the sell Jigarthanda on the streets of Madurai .. She does that for 3 hours till 3 in the evening , since jigarthanda sells like hot cakes during the afternoons , and after that , she picks up Rani from school and they both return home.. And if you ask me how a "septuagenarian" does all this in a day, I have no clue!!! .. She relaxes for some time...and then after that she come to our house to help my mom with domestic work. It is during that time that she actually relaxes. You see, Vasantha Paati is full of happiness and most importantly , she is an amazing story teller.....

It is a daily ritual for her to narrate some thing or the other as she does her chores casually . I used to listen to all her stories with rapt attention. Stories about her childhood, her family, and a lot more... Not only were her stories interesting, I love how she enjoys telling them to others... It makes her feel important. One thing all old people crave for is TIME, since they don't have a lot themselves ... All they ever crave is for someone to talk to , someone whom they can listen to .. Someone who can make them feel they are a significant part of their lives. But a lot of old people die before they actually "die", and you know what kills them? Loneliness.

Paati usually comes to our home tired after her long, hectic day. She kind of resembles a raisin. Her wrinkles more prominent than they actually are, by each passing day. Her eyes constantly watery and she huffs and puffs every time she has to sit or get up from the floor. Her arthritis reminding her every time she has to climb the stairs, that her osteocytes are deteriorating and her "Genus Articulation'' is getting fragile day by day.

The only time that she seems to forget all her troubles and constant pains is when she is with Rani or when she is telling a story .. Oh yeah , her eyes twinkle, and the wrinkles around them become even more distinct, this time because of happiness!!!!

And usually Rani comes in search of her Paati to our home.... Paati has tried coaxing her granddaughter to stay at home till she finishes her chores, but Rani comes anyway .... I kind of found it cute, the way she misses her Paati. A 10 year old just decides to walk all the way from her house so that she could be with her... So, I just told paati to let her come along and also said I will help her with her school lessons... It was kind of fun helping Rani with her home work and lessons. She would proudly narrate to me each and every incident that happened that day ... That day when she once found a puppy on the roadside, and decided to name it 'Appu', or the other day when she and her friend Meena shared candies, she says it all with wide eyes!!!And I found it strange to see how easy decimals and whole numbers seemed, when I was her age, I used to shudder at the thought of my math homework.... I would help her cut up pictures for her projects... and color pictures for her drawing homework ... it was good fun to have her around.... She was always full of questions .. her eyes sparkled as she laughed.... Her high, shrill laughter ... And she loved her Paati.

Thatha- means ''Grandfather'' in Tamil.

Jigarthanda- It is a cold beverage made of   milk, almond gum, sarsaparilla root syrup, sugar and ice cream, that originated in the South Indian city of Madurai  in Tamil Nadu.