Grandmothers make our hearts mush. Even those tough ones that seem grumpy but we all know deep down inside there’s some spongy soft vibes that need to be massaged and heard. Our sweetie friend Sonia recently had a wake up call and found a renewed relationship with her Nani, Kamlesh Srichand Asrani. This is her story.
I have known my Nani my whole life, but did I really know her? My Nana passed away recently and it made me question that. I have always looked up to Nani, but I would observe her from a distance. Sometimes I felt I was too sensitive to her advice, I misunderstood it as criticism.
Nani's father was a professor in Karachi, at the time of the partition. During the time of unrest, her father asked her mom to take the kids and go to India, to Bombay specifically as they had some relatives there. Nani and her two brothers lived in Borivali with their mom and waited for their father, but it seemed like he would not leave Pakistan. Things were tough for her mom in Bombay, raising 3 kids on her own. Eventually her mom left Bombay with the oldest son, leaving Nani and her brother in the care of an Uncle and Aunt who lived in Bandra. Nani was 7 at the time and her brother was a few years younger. Her brother took it a lot worse than she did. They later learned that her parents had more kids back in pakistan, her parents came to Bombay hoping to bring the kids back with them. But by then neither Nani, nor her brother wanted to leave. Their Aunt and Uncle had raised them with so much care and did not have any kids of their own, and they considered them to be their parents. Nani’s brother too went on to become a professor and still lives in Bombay. Nani then met Nana and moved to Kerala and eventually Chennai. |
Left - Sonia's Nani as a child ; Right : Sonia's Nani and her daughters
Later on during her visit, we went on little adventures. We went to Mohammad Ali road, she took me to temples I had never been to. I spoke to her friend on the phone, we got our nails done, we went on walks, she sang songs, she met my friends. I felt like I needed to document it all. |
Sonia and her Nani getting their nails done.
Nani's just want to feel special. Say hi to your Nani from me! |