Remembering Aita

Aita in her teens

  My aita & I had a very special bond. As an infant, I spent a lot of time in Nalbari, so much so that I almost forgot my own parents!  Aita fed me, bathed me and did everything that makes her  deserve  the title of the world's best grandmother. She fed me lots of mashed vegetable soups, which probably explains my love for soups till date. My earliest memory of being fed by her is of when I was about 3 years old. I was a fussy eater. But my aita had a very clever trick up her sleeve. She used to mash everything on the plate, make small balls of the mash & dedicate each ball to a family member, say ma, baba,  koka etc. That way I finished my food, not wanting to offend any ‘family member’. She was a genius with her grandchildren.

To me, she was an extremely kind, affectionate and generous person. She always went out of  her way to help others and never never spoke harshly to anyone. She always cheered me up with her hearty laughs. She was also very motivated and socially very active. She was an active member of organisations like the Indian Red Cross, Theosophical Society and various literary forums, She was a frequent contributor of articles to local magazines and also published a few books. Aita also headed the Nalbari Municipal corporation, a rare feat for a woman in these parts. Very few people can boast of their grandmothers being mayors or authors. My grandmother was both, and I’m very proud to be her grand-daughter.

Nalbari, for me, is synonymous with my dearest Nalbari aita. My favourite place coupled with my favourite person, made it inevitable for me not to visit Nalbari koka-aita's house whenever I visited Assam. In fact an Assam trip always meant a Nalbari trip for me. My excitement would always build up as we neared the house every time, and there she would be standing at the gates with koka to receive us. Our joyful greetings were always followed by a sumptuous meal which she prepared with a lot of bustle in the kitchen. She used to run around the kitchen, making my favourite dishes, and I used to follow her around, filling her in about life in Delhi or asking the odd question about Nalbari's happenings.


I always made it a point to sleep between koka and aita every night whenever I visited them or vice-versa. Yes, even up till the age of 19 when they visited us last! Listening to her stories had become a ritual which I could not do without. She used to run her fingers on my scalp which was so soothing & always rendered me sleepy. Such was the magic of her story-telling capabilities & fingers! I never grew tired of her stories. In fact, I must have heard them more than a dozen times over! She described everything in such a vivid manner, especially the descriptions of the princesses. Those were my favourite parts!

My aita loved a good laugh. She, koka, Abhinav and I used to laugh till our stomachs hurt over the most trivial things. We used to pull each others' legs and end up teary eyed with all the laughing. Those were the good times.
Another unforgettable characteristic of aita's was her voice. Her voice which always answered the phone excitedly, which unfailingly wished  me 'happy birthday' early in the morning every year before anybody else, which recited long prayers at at great speed in the mornings & evenings. I’ll never forget her beautiful voice.
Aita also loved to travel. She was very energetic and fun-loving, and could never stay in one place for very long. We've visited countless places in the country with our beloved koka & aita - Kullu and Manali, Simla, Chennai... Trips were so much more fun and exciting with both of them in tow.
I love my aita and I look up to her. I hope I imbibe some of her traits and be as good a person as she was. She will be sorely missed and I will always remember her with a lot of affection.