When we were growing up, one year and two-year old children were usually fed by their grandmoms.
No prams, no high chairs. The grandma would carry the child on her hip. In the other hand she would carry a stainless steel bowl, filled to the brim with mashed rice, dal (lentils), a dash of clarified butter and a portion of vegetable.
The grandma would walk about the courtyard of her house, with a chubby little baby on her hip, pointing out the blue sky, the swaying trees, the green leaves and the small ants going about their day.
Courtesy – http://www.illustrationsof.com
The ubiquitous crow never failed to entertain. Cawing in its raucous voice, the crow provided ample opportunity for the grandma to feed the child, whose mouth would be open in wonder at all these small marvels and miracles of nature.
The postman, the people walking on the street, the honking of an autorickshaw – these were the other sources of entertainment.
It was a sight to behold. Sometimes, the grandma would spin a tale about a good crow who was obedient, and a naughty crow who was not obedient, and would then tell the child that he or she was like the good crow. Another mouthful of food would be cleverly fed.
Mission accomplished, the grandma would clean up the child and carry her indoors.
Countless grandmoms in countless courtyards spending quality time with their grandchildren. A truly special bond indeed!
This is one of the best and most heartfelt posts I have read in a long time 🙂 Those days , unadulterated little pleasures and those memories of MAI ( my grandma ) feeding me as we watched the crows and we’re told to eat to the last bit or the crow would eat the yummy treat 🙂 A lovely nostalgic feel ! Thank you for this .
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Totally agree. Thank you for stopping by and for the kind words
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Beautiful Nimi… You made me remember my maternal grandma😀🙏🏻. She is no more but I always rmb her😀
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Yes Shivangi. Granma’s are truly special. Thank you dear
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Hi, I have been reading your everyday tales for some time now though this is my first comment here. I don’t know how I reached your blog, but I stayed once I reached because you bear a striking resemblance to my dearest niece 🙂 And of course, I began enjoying your tales too! This post is after my heart because I am a grandmother too and know how it works 🙂 I had once done a series of posts on reading, stories and comics etc. and Growing up with stories was one of them – about how children listened to stories and ate and slept and about my two boys growing up on stories. http://wp.me/pKQTL-UE
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Thank you so very much for your kind words, and for taking the time to read my posts. Look forward to reading your post too..
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I read your post now. Lovely and very well written. I could relate to every line there. Nothing to beat ‘paruppun chaadam’ and ‘thayir saadam’ coupled with grandma or thatha’s stories.
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Indeed!
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I am glad my kids still have my mother. And she is so different to how my mother-in-law was. My mom does everything with and for them. They adore her!
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Yes Erika, every child needs to know what it is to be loved unconditionally by a grandmom
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Blessed the ones who have them.
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Love this. Delightful.
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Thank you, Elen
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I love the image this conjures. I didn’t grow up under the protective arm of grandparents, nor did my children. I feel we missed something very special 🙂
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