Good morning friends
A few days ago, we visited Manoj’s uncle and aunt (Kaka kaku as we call them )in Mulund. For all three of us, it’s always a pleasure to visit them and spend some leisurely time with them, as we have a special bond with them. Kaka is now in his 90s and Kaku in her 80s. But looking at their enthusiasm for life , it is hard to believe their age.
Every time we visit them, I am amazed by some new facet of their personality. They are always trying out something new, something different. The last time I visited them, kaku told me that she had adopted a new method to prepare tea ! And the tea certainly tasted great. Another time, she showed me a simpler and less time consuming way to cook dal. Both of them are experimenting all the time even at this age, when their contemporaries are set and rigid in their ways. We always get to taste seasonal recipes, especially different kinds of homemade pickles in their home. It’s heartening to see their enthusiasm for life in spite of the various physical challenges that age has brought them.
This time during our visit, I found that they had changed the brand of their tea. I asked kaka the reason for this change and he said with a smile,” We can’t go out for shopping now, so we have to depend on someone to get things for us. “, but as he said this, there was no complaint in his voice… it was a total acceptance of his situation. He added,” But this brand is also very good!” How many of us can accept change so readily, without a single complaint ?
During the second wave of Covid, both of them caught the virus and were admitted for almost 6 weeks in the hospital. Kaka was in ICU for 3 weeks. But this did not dampen his enthusiasm in any way. Every time we talked to him on a video call, he would say, “ Everything is absolutely fine “ (मस्त आहे ….with a lot of emphasis onमस्त ! )
… and this was happening in an ICU setting, with oxygen mask and IVs and monitors attached to him. I really understood the meaning of “acceptance “…. accepting any situation with total gratitude… from him during these times. Covid hospitalisation didn’t dampen kaka-kaku’s spirits; if at all, they are stronger and more resilient and more cheerful now.
We find many senior citizens set in their ways and not willing to change. Some senior citizens are either bored with life or complaining about their lives all the time. This amazing couple is just the opposite. Kaku talked about their life once and said, “It has been a beautiful life”; though I know for a fact that they have faced many challenges and difficulties in their life. They are my role models in more ways than one and I hope to emulate at least a few of their qualities as I grow older. They are curious, full of wonder, ready to try out something new, contented, satisfied and probably that’s why they are very happy. When I return home after visiting them , my bag is full, not just with homemade pickles and masalas and laddoos, but with many more qualities like zest towards life and satisfaction and acceptance and also a more positive attitude . As I write this, I have tears of gratitude in my eyes that I am privileged to be close to this wonderful couple.
I hope that as I grow older, I can imbibe at least a few of their wonderful qualities,
Love,
Anjali Bhatawdekar
