Saturday, July 24, 2010

My Ammachi, Chempakakutty Amma - Mrs. PN Panicker

It's a hectic weekend amidst friends at Pune after that lecture of mine at Bombay. Have been on the move ever since I'd left Delhi on Thursday.

But today's my Ammachi's remembrance day and I need to be with her and the fond memories that I've of her. She passed into eternity this day in 1991. We were very close to each other and I must admit that even my mother has not been able to come to that proximity with me.

When I used to be at the Holy Angels' Convent during my primary school days, Ammachi used to make it a point to see me off in the mornings and receive me when I returned in the evenings, with snacks that I was fond of. She cried most when I was sent to the Sainik School and would wait for my vacations to begin when she used me as chaperone to visit her doctor (her ailments were a closely guarded secret between Muthachan, me and her). We both would go for movies during the noon shows when all the others were either away or would have seen the movie earlier. There was a tremendous sense of happiness and contentment whenever I was with her and she fondly called me 'monay'.

The way she kept her house was legendary. The house used to be teeming with guests, at times even at odd hours, thanks to my Muthachan's hectic workstyle and Ammachi was the perfect host all the way - a tough thing, by all standards! Many people have told me glowingly about my Ammachi's hospitality and her personal touch in everything that she did. Even my Muthachan had candidly admitted many a time that he was able to go about his professional activities without hitch only because he was sure that Ammachi could handle everything on the homefront without any personal demand or unsolved problems!

During my marriage on 16 May '91, sometime during the course of events of that day, she told me that she did not mind death as she was happy to see me wedded at long last and little did I realise then that her words would be prophetic as she passed away a couple of months later.

Why did she have to go off so abruptly?

Ammachi, I miss you always in every waking moment of mine!

No comments:

Post a Comment