Ammumma- the grand old lady of the house

The other day when I came across this title in my father’s autobiography (he was speaking about his grandmother), it occurred to me that it was my turn to give my own ammumma a fitting tribute.

Ammumma was, as we say in our language, the aiswaryam of her house, Kamalalayam. She was the devoted wife of her husband, my Achachen, a late Chief Engineer of the Kerala State Electricity Board.

Whenever I think of ammumma, it is her stoic nature that comes to mind. As achachen and ammumma would often argue about the real nature of the proverb, Speech is silver, silence golden, I often now think the second part of the proverb was literally true in ammumma’s case.

She was a great lady, a gifted lady. I remember how she used to sing lullabies to put my little son to sleep. The Jesus Christ she hand embroidered was mistaken by judges for a painting in a competition.

When I think of this ammumma of mine, I should also mention an equally lovable figure, my father’s mother- who also I used to call ammumma. She was a very hardworking woman whom I heard my mother say, would toil endlessly for the sake of her husband and her children.

She had great faith in God and would keep pictures of Lord Guruvayoorappan under her pillow till her last hours.

Ammumma would be up in the mornings early doing routine physical exercise. She was very fit which I think was one of the reasons for her living to a ripe old age.

She was exuberant in her love for me and would never lose a single opportunity to defend me.

A funny incident I always recall is my three-year-old son naughtily going and licking each of ammumma’s Calcium tablets and putting it back in the bottle for fear of somebody finishing it. Ammumma used to lovingly call my son, uppilittathu, meaning pickles due to his great love for the same.

I can proudly say both my ammummas have been in different ways a source of inspiration for me.