The Secrets Granny Whispered in My Ears: People's Kafe, #4

By Priyanka Kumar

Nani was my little buddha. She was our cute, roly-poly, bundle of affection. I must have had a past life connection with Nani. Or so I would like to believe. I say so cause we both has exceptional fondness for one another that transcended age and distance. Nani was always anchored in Bhopal, while I moved around cities as dad got transferred. But even in the good old days of trunk calls and letters, we maintained contact, pouring our hearts out to each other. Now that I think of it, Nani was my first pen friend! We cuddled, we laughed on silly things, we rejoiced in the time that we had together.

 

"People's Kafe – The Secrets Granny Whispered in My Ears" is a kaleidoscopic ride into my Nani's life set in pre and post-independence India right until Instagram stormed our lives. She led a life of purpose when odds were stacked against her. Born into a humble family of six siblings, in a heavily caste and gender prejudiced society, much before India gained freedom, Nani shattered the unwritten glass ceiling by attaining a graduate degree, carving a career at the National Family Planning Commission of India and following Ambedkar's ideology of obliterating caste discrimination. Through her eyes, you will witness different periods of social and technology evolution within India. In an epoch, when women were primarily home makers, Nani led a life of her choice, choosing love, equality and faith. This book is a tribute to Nani, her old-fashioned wisdom that she imprinted on my impressionable mind through her life and living. You will find a sneak peek into her childhood spent on farms, the love of her life whom she met when in high school, a long-distance marriage across thousand miles and a profession that educated people about healthy number of babies to make! Besides you'll also discover her quirks, passions, superpowers, the love that she showered on her family and pets she nurtured. Nani carried a quintessential zest for life and became a beacon of light for her family and future generations through her simple yet extraordinary life. Now I must bequeath to the next generation, treasure trove of her sapience - the secrets she whispered in my ears. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Priyanka Kumar
• Release date: Oct 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798862847406

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Priyanka Kumar

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 979-8862847406

Introduction

Nani was my little buddha. She was our cute, roly-poly, bundle of affection. I must have had a past life connection with Nani. Or so I would like to believe. I say so cause we both has exceptional fondness for one another that transcended age and distance. Nani was always anchored in Bhopal, while I moved around cities as dad got transferred. But even in the good old days of trunk calls and letters, we maintained contact, pouring our hearts out to each other. Now that I think of it, Nani was my first pen friend! We cuddled, we laughed on silly things, we rejoiced in the time that we had together.

People’s Kafe – The Secrets Granny Whispered in My Ears is a kaleidoscopic ride into my Nani’s life set in pre and post-independence India right until Instagram stormed our lives. She led a life of purpose when odds were stacked against her. Born into a humble family of six siblings, in a heavily caste and gender prejudiced society, much before India gained freedom, Nani shattered the unwritten glass ceiling by attaining a graduate degree, carving a career at the National Family Planning Commission of India and following Ambedkar’s ideology of obliterating caste discrimination. Through her eyes, you will witness different periods of social and technology evolution within India. In an epoch, when women were primarily home makers, Nani led a life of her choice, choosing love, equality and faith. This book is a tribute to Nani, her old-fashioned wisdom that she imprinted on my impressionable mind through her life and living. You will find a sneak peek into her childhood spent on farms, the love of her life whom she met when in high school, a long-distance marriage across thousand miles and a profession that educated people about healthy number of babies to make! Besides you’ll also discover her quirks, passions, superpowers, the love that she showered on her family and pets she nurtured. Nani carried a quintessential zest for life and became a beacon of light for her family and future generations through her simple yet extraordinary life. Now I must bequeath to the next generation, treasure trove of her sapience - the secrets she whispered in my ears. 

I am grateful to my parents, Mr. Yogesh Kumar and Dr. Suchitra Kumar who nurtured my passion for writing since a nascent age. My grandparents, who are blessing me over from heavens. Panku, my life partner, who is my anchor.

My works are dedicated to Nana Nani, whom I hope to meet in another horizon, some time in eternity.

As my readers, your feedback and ideas are valuable. Please don’t hesitate to write to me at [e-mail].

Priyanka Kumar

Table of Contents

Love across Miles

The Secret Ingredient

Nani’s Mithas

Nani and her Protector

Bahurani

The Last Wish

Nani’s Knit Yarn

Who let the cat out of the bag?

A Stamp from Bhopal

Treasure Trunk

When Nani came to Bangalore

Nani and her home remedies

What’s in the belly?

Kitties and Potlucks

The Gift of Walking

Gift of a Lifetime

Our Sunday phone calls

The Birthday Greeting

The Last Sweater

Nani’s Diary

About Author

People’s Kafe

Dedicated to Nani

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Love across Miles

As the sun goes down the horizon on this cold hazy January evening, am tempted to share with you a story that I shall always carry with me. This story dates back to my days of carefree abandon, my days of adolescence. The summer holidays were always an exciting time for us, and a good deal of the excitement would be around arrival of Nana Nani to spend the summers with us. Nani would begin her countdown to arrival almost a month before arrival. Nana was the kind who had a stern exterior and a surreptitiously soft interior. Nani was my roly-poly ball of melting love and affection.

I was in pre high school then. And already beginning to form impressions of romance through Shakespearean literature and Bollywood movies. So, one carefree evening at Agra, Nana Nani and I were seated in our patio overlooking the vast garden in our compound. My thirteen-year-old curious self prodded Nana Nani, How did you both meet one another? Nani chuckled like a girl. Nana remarked, Nana Nani’s story is bygone now! I sensed that if I dug a bit further, they both would spill the beans on how they ended together. Nani giggled and Nana started.

Our first rendezvous goes back to 1940s. Freedom struggle had gripped the whole nation and I was no different. There was in our countrymen, a fervor to fight for our rights. The leaders of our country inspired us with their vision of a free, sovereign India. I was drawn to Baba Ambedkar’s ideology of fraternity and equality in social order. To liberate those marginalized by the caste system that plagued our society, Ambedkar evangelized Buddhism in India and gave dhamma diksha to his six lac followers that year at Diksha grounds, Nagpur. I was the leader of student political party at Aligarh Muslim University then. I followed Baba Saheb all the way to Nagpur in the hope of seeing him. That’s where your Nani and I were destined to meet.

So you were in Hardoi all your life and met Nani at Nagpur, almost thousand kilometers apart!

Not your Nani. I met your Nani’s younger sister, Kaushalya at the rally in Nagpur. We shared the same political ideologies.

Oh Kaushalya Nani?!

Yes, she played the cupid.

Nani blushed a bit, while Nana was in the mood to reveal all, I was a young lad, studying in intermediate. In those days, people married fairly young. Kaushalya invited me over to their home. That’s where I caught a glimpse of your Nani. A young girl of sixteen then. Innocent and charming, quite unassuming and unaware of my instant adulation for her.

Was it love at first sight Nana?

You might say so. Your Nani had big almond eyes. She peeped from behind the curtains of their living while I sat sipping tea Kaushalya had prepared. I knew she was the one.

Nana carried on while I was spellbound, When I returned home, I discovered a silk kerchief in my luggage. It had Shashi" embroidered on it and lay neatly folded in my luggage. In those days, exchanging hankies was an expression of admiration. I knew then that your Nani reciprocated my