Today, I would like to share with you the story of my Grandma, my ‘Nani’ (Mom’s Mom) or Dida as I fondly call her.
My Dida is definitely a lot sweeter than ‘Dida’ sounds. She is really cute, sweet and adorable and definitely a lot more than a conventional Grand-Mom.
For starters, she is the first one in my family to refer to and suggest Youtube videos for cooking recipes even though she’s the last one to use a smartphone. One day she just said, ‘Just Google it’ during a debate in my family.
Ofcourse, her coolness is a lot more than what I mentioned up there which is why I have since a while wanted to interview her.
So yes, she grew up in a post independence era and was the eldest among her 7 siblings who were brought up by an employed father and an illiterate mother which certainly did not stop her from being an independent woman.
While growing up she realised the importance of money in a household and has always striven to be economically stable and even now she continues to save money and Banks are her best friends!
It was the shortage of money that motivated her to work before marriage. My Dida was a school drop out and discontinued schooling in 7th Standard because she felt a bit odd about her weight gain issues. She studied in a local Marathi medium school until 3rd Std that was the only school in her vicinity. She had a good command over English language as my Great Grand-Father would often read English stories and news-paper to her. So people who knew her family suggested she attend an English medium school and even after this shift she managed to pick the English language up really well and became a first ranker in her new school as well.
After Dida turned 16 she started looking for work and got several jobs as a typist or a receptionist. She says in those days it was not that uncommon for women of her age to go look for jobs, in fact there were a lot of women like her ,and she did not face any opposition from any of her family members. It was rather a very normal responsibility or duty of a kid in a household irrespective of the gender.
A few years later she met my Grandfather who came to visit her family to collect ‘Chaada’ or donation for Saraswati Puja and they fell in love and got married and had a beautiful daughter (my Mom).
For several years Dida was a homemaker and managed her household. Once, she visited her brother’s convent school to talk about his academic hurdles to the Principal and he asked her why she had chosen to drop out of school even when she was a bright student. He suggested that she could still give her Matriculate exams privately. Dida quickly agreed and collected the application form and with the help of my Grandfather (Dadu) she filled it up, submitted it, studied, gave her exams in October 1975 and passed.
In 1976, my Dadu informed Dida about a job opening in a Government autonomous institution of high prominence where my Dadu was already working. She could apply through examination and Interview. Yes, my Dadu was a very encouraging man and always supported Dida in her endeavours. He always felt that Dida was bright and was capable of achieving more in life. Dida’s interview and exams went very well and she was immediately hired & asked to join in 10 days. It seems the interviewer was impressed by her General and Political knowledge.
Managing job and household was not that big a concern and she was able to handle things smoothly.
A few months into joining Dida felt a little inferior because she was not a graduate and also the academic atmosphere in her office inspired her to apply for a Graduation course. And so she did!! She enrolled for a B.A in Political Science course in S.N.D.T University, Mumbai through correspondence and would attend lectures in the weekend, wake up at 4 am everyday to study (I just cannot do that). She passed with flying colours in 1981.
Through-out her 34 years of service, my Dida was known to have the disposition of an Iron lady because she had a very strong personality combined with simplicity and humility. She joined as a lower division clerk and retired as a Superintendent.
Dida is a solution oriented person, she’s always looking for innovative ways of doing things, and she’s always trying to fix things on her own and last but not the least, her financial and political knowledge is commendable
From a school drop out to an Office Superintendent – her journey is certainly inspiring. She always believes that good thoughts will attract good things and prays to Lord Krishna. She mentions that her husband, my Dadu was a man of very high culture and vast knowledge; he moulded her life and actually introduced her to the world and how things move.
This goes out to show, if you have determination, curiosity and a supportive family, you can achieve anything you want.
Cheers to my Dida!
Of Lilies And Marshmallow 