Madrasan Amma

Strange the title may appear though but that’s what we used to call a south Indian lady, who supposed to be our neighbor.

Someone like her

We shifted to this residence around 20 years back, when I saw her for the first time – Old, black complexioned wrinkled mass with strange body odor (may be for being an avid fish eater) draped in white saree going with her stark-white hair, and the typical Madrasi tone with a loud pitch of voice. When she would talk, even a person at the corner of the street would come to know. Either you say appearance or lifestyle, she did not change a bit in these 20 years. And the most unique part about her was she used to live all alone away from her family based in Madras.  Though sometimes, her daughter would come to visit her and bring her a little money and other things.

‘Beta‘ ! That’s how she would call me, my brother and mummy and even my grandmother, and ’bhaiya’ was the name for my father!!! Though I could never understand such injustice towards the age difference, but that’s how it has always been.                       

There was a small wall separating our adjoint terraces. The broad edge of the wall used to be the place where we three – me, my brother and she used to talk. She was a funny woman, I must say. She would tell us about her family members, about her hometown, and their customs. Sometimes I would wonder how she is managing her living, alone at such an old age. And we were concerned about her loneliness too. So whenever possible, we would even call her at our place, and have talks. She sometimes would appear like a family member.

I remember when I was around 7, we were enjoying the rain on terrace, she appeared to be collecting the clothes she had hung on the clothesline. As a matter of fun, I was preparing a ‘fake tea’ with brick powder dissolved in rain water collected in two small containers. Seeing her, I took out the third one and offered her tea. Then we all pretended to drink it and enjoy the rain.

Whenever we would go to her home, if she would be watching TV, she would prod us to watch with her, though we would never, out of sense of etiquette. The old, wretched, lady would forcefully give us whatever she could-like a masala pouch, or a piece of sweet, or some different type of salt.

Old and frail though, she was physically very strong. That was a time when we had to fetch drinking water from regular tankers. But since, no one in the family would be available at home, we could not go on weekdays. But that was the spirit of that lady who used to keep our empty can with her and fetch water for us as well. 

Surely, she was much more Juvenile and active than an adult. If, we gave her any eatable in utensils or water in a jug, no matter how tarnished the vessel, she would always return a bright shining utensil back. How enthusiastic towards everything.

Well, after so many years, now can I realise that sometimes it’s good to watch a Television with a neighbor when they insist.  Because that’s not just about watching Television, but the ‘loneliness’. 

I said so because she just died yesterday and I was recalling about the moments when she would be feeling lonely, and we let her be. Her daughter, who had come two days back, was eagerly waiting for her to die so that she could go back to her town soon...

Miss you amma!