Since what I wrote about my own Grandma’s life in Malayalam, I thought ‘A Grandma’s Day’ would be more readable in English. Today’s kids would enjoy it more, since they themselves talk in English mostly. For them and perhaps for us too Malayalam has become just another language. We are every ready to claim it as our own language because we the elders and those who rule the state, still are quite aware of the cultural, historical and library status of Malayalam – something which we could show off as our own to the world at large. Otherwise, since we ourselves have failed in our language based concept of states there is nothing much to show off as such!
Actually I am more than a usual Grandma now, since my own daughter’s son has two kids now and my son’s daughter is already finishing her post graduation studies. Hence we can accept another young family sooner or later. Even though I can’t actually presume what the so called ‘New Generation’s attitude to Grandmas reaching not (like me)! They are quite busy with today, making of what they can do here and now from my own experience I feel that such an approach to life makes it easy for grandma’s like me to communicate to them freely. For one thing there is no time to elaborate on how to go about-in life and to think and assess the plus and minus of-of it. Most of the time they seem quite busy with to-day, making much of what they can do here and now. From my own approach makes it easy for them and me to communicate freely. Perhaps in today’s world we ourselves are not sure what to advise. But one thing I am sure is that only very few of them are averse to marriage and family. It just happens somehow, and after a while they accept the plus and minus of it and succeed in their own way.
Since the article is about a Grandma’s one day the only thing I can assure you is that I personally enjoy life with all the plus and minus of it. I seldom indulge in the reveries of past life. True I can’t go about doing what all I used to do any more. But as long as one can understand what is happening around, a generation gap does not arise. Now a days every body is busy with their own interests and have no time to compare and contrast too much. Of course it has its losses too! You won’t have time to spend with your extended family anymore. Now the family as such consists of only a single family and that too become smaller as the children grow up and move off. But all this happens because the changes are inevitable – for example in Kerala it was a joint family system mostly with an agricultural life style and wealth. As times changed, and it was possible to move off to other countries for education and better lively hood, the extended family and the agricultural assets slowly disappeared. Other career opportunities were there all over the world and for us the world and our understanding of it had widened. Now there is a sort of evolution, physical, mental and unique which happens more and more early in life. Even though I have seen three generations myself I think nothing much has got lost. But the change perhaps came up rather too soon. The world as such is fast moving and the younger generation seem to manage and survive the way they want. The old Grandma in me thinks, “that is because they do not have time to elaborate and so they never get bored.” Perhaps because of this fast growth the youngsters nature rather too early. Each time I get a chance to be with them they have grown mentally beyond my grasp. But unlike the earlier generations the rapport between the old and the young is quite good news. They patiently agree and what and when they do not agree, explain everything. There was a time when grown ups and elders thought that they should keep a distance with the young ones to help them to grow up on their own. But now it is not so any more. Quite a good number of our youngsters are abroad now. I as a grandma want to know about their life-partly out of sheer curiosity and more to feel that they are alright and survive on their own. They oblige very well and also show an interest to know of own life too. My own feeling is that nature has intended it that way. As the years go by we ourselves end up very much as young kids and move off from responsibilities in a way. We really do enjoy it too – no further ambitions and hence no more anxiety either! Each Day brings some little problems because of a grandmas’ age and some nice intervels too to enjoy the blessings of life. As the years move on there is no past lost, no future to come and the present encompasses the whole life. Grandmas survive by enjoying the present – what is nice and palatable – be it food or life itself. That way each day comes and goes and mostly Grandmas too travel with it in mind.