I LOVE MY AMMAMA.

I get epiphany's quite a lot and just like that. One minute I am in the real world, doing my thing, (or might I add, sulking about something/someone, for that seems to be what I am precociously occupied with these days!) and the next minute I am thinking about the most random things.

Just the other day, I was in a meeting with a Project Manager of a large consultancy, discussing possibilities of working together and going through my company profile with him. While skimming through one particular slide, and looking at the recently completed Costa Coffee's pictures, the project manager turns to me and says  "Wow, what's that beautiful color? Grape wine - ish red?". And I froze. It's really surprising how one thing can lead to the other and I was suddenly thinking and missing my grandmother, my Ammama. The Key word here was, believe it or not GRAPE. My Ammama used to feed me grapes, not just any grapes, Grapes with seeds! They are the ones with the perfect blend of both sweetness and sourness, she used to say and what she used to do was, cut the seed out of each and every grape and feed them to me while I happily completed my homework and satiated my sweet tooth.

Ammama and I

Did the project manager need to say Grape wine - ish red, I don't know. How did I manage to catch hold of this particular tangent and fly off , I really don't know, but I do know is I miss my Ammama. A Lot.

A lot of people, I know, have had all 4 of their grandparents around them as they grew up. I was one of those lucky few as well, but fortunately or unfortunately I was only close to my maternal grandparents. Will get into the details of why, what and which later... much later, possibly if and when I publish my semi autobiographical tell all book. Writing and publishing runs in my family, so do not be overtly surprised, my aunt, my mother's younger sister Sindhu S has recently published an un - put - down -able book The Plunge! Its touching, beautiful and heartfelt! I am not just saying this because she is my "favorite-st" aunt, but because she was simply awesome in her debut novel!

It is a wonderful, tumultuous and poignant love story of a young, contemporary Indian woman, her trials and tribulations and her pursuit of happiness, love and her man. The emotions are so raw and real it keeps leaping out of the pages and finally when the book comes to a surprising end, I was left with a heavy heart. the emotional turmoil, the confusion, the multitude of emotions that the protagonist as well as the other characters go through have all been so beautifully captured! A heartbreaking romantic novel that will stay in my heart now and forever!!!

Okay, I digressed, but not too far I must say, still very much within the family! My maternal grandparents. I simply love my Ammama and Valichan. From as far as I can remember, they are the ones who distinctly stand out in all my childhood memories, I would like to think I am, my Ammama's favorite (Sorry Sannu, Kannan and Kitchu, but I very immodestly would like to think so.) But let me add, this is for no extraordinary doing of mine, but purely because I was and am her first grandchild, the child of her first daughter. I have been pampered by her to the end of the world and back!

Ammama, Vallichan and I

To celebrate my Ammama and try and miss her a little less… I want to share 26 things I love about her… because she’s one of my #1 girl’s in my life!

I love her because:

1. She had my mother!!! (You can read about Ma here )
2. She loves to dress up.
3. Her gorgeous smile and her laugh is contagious!
4. Talking to her on the phone.
5. She LOVES sweets!
6. That she’s tiny, but tough!
7. She loves a good romance story.
8. Her love of a good shopping trip.
9. She loves her soaps, she is the one who introduced me to Celeste, a SPANISH (who cares about the language anyway!) TV series, no less! I remember both of staring at the actors and trying to comprehend the exact story!
10. She introduced me to the love of TV Series!
11. She’s funny as can be!
12. She loves makeup and likes to see me all dressed up!
13. Her strength – emotionally and spiritually.
14. She looks beautiful in ALL colors.
15. She worries about me, a LOT.
16. She’s a proud Grandma and could wait to be a proud Great-Grandma as well. I am sorry Ammama, it seems to me, the only way I can make your this dream come true is by forgoing the tried and tested marriage route (not for the lack of trying but for the lack of succeeding in being found by the right suitor) and adopting a gorgeous little baby girl.
17. She loves to travel, but she is okay not travelling just to close to Vallichan and take care of him.
18. She’s beautiful.
19. Her never-give-up attitude! (Even after 5 years of relentlessly trying and failing to get me hooked, she continues to be confident!)
20. Cares about the food she puts into her body!
21. She’s sweet. Very, very sweet.
22. Remembers a ton of stuff… it always amazes me.
23. Loves to see pictures of her family.
24. She’s incredible.
25. She has gorgeous grey eyes!
26. She is feisty and likes to get things done in her way. I seem to have doubly inherited this trait, from both Ammama and Ma! The Feisty - ness seems have grown leaps and bounds, I must say!

Ammama, Vallichan and I

I’m truly the lucky one to have her in my life… my whole life I have felt her love. She’s someone who I just love to pieces and feel honored to have as my Grandma, though she does do her bit to annoy the crap out of me sometimes. Maybe its not her, not anyone else, its ME! I could work with that. -_-

I do hope that if I’m blessed with a long of life I would like to imbibe a lot of things from my Ammama -  wrinkly, beautiful,  wise, and completely trusting in God’s providence. Love you Ammama and even though I hate the place you stay in I will seen you soon! Promise!