NaBloPoMo 2019: Day 14: Pictures of the Past

Reading yesterday’s blog post, quite a few people responded saying that they hadn’t known about Amma’s demise. Not their fault, for I hadn’t gone out of the way to tell people about it, except incidentally. 

Ever since the event, I had been meaning to write a blog post, sharing the news and my experience of it, and a few things about how Amma’s life had been. But somehow, there was no pull from within and I sensed the need to let some time pass before venturing there, trusting that when the time was right, the impulse to write about it would come.


I hadn’t really planned on writing this blog series. I wasn’t even sure if I’d do the blogathon this time because of late, I’ve been extremely busy. Besides, there’s a textbook I’m writing and supposed to complete by this month-end.


Then just one day before November began, I was struck by the thought of making this November about Amma. As usual, I turned to my sisters to ask what they thought of it, and if they’d tell me their stories, too, because being No. 5 in the list of 6, there were many things I didn’t know in detail.

Within minutes their replies poured in – yes, it was a great thing, and of course, they’d contribute!

Now because I hadn’t planned for the event, I wasn’t equipped with the photographs to go with each story. But when I went home for yesterday’s maasikam, I made up for that deficiency. The night before the maasikam, I sat up till late, scouring through the family albums, for pictures to use for the stories so far, and the ones to come in the days ahead.

Here are a few photographs of places and people I’ve talked about in the blogs so far. The pictures tell their own story!

Redi pictures

Amma with her first-born (Maithili) She must have been 21 then.

Amma with a Mahila Mandali group in Redi. Note that she's wearing the madisaar. 

The family to your left is ours. Appa, Maithili, Amma with Vatsala in her lap, and Vijaya

The first three - Maithili, Vijaya and Vatsala

 Pali pictures

Standing in order from eldest to youngest - Bhargavi is the fourth kid

Pali house where Bhargavi fell - the 4 girls, not sure if woman almost hidden is Amma

Our maternal aunt's marriage. Girls on the floor are us - the baby in the lap is me. Elderly person in center - our grandfather Engineer Narasimhamurthy. To his left - Amma and Appa

Most recent picture of all 6 of us with Amma and Appa

That Mahila Mandali I mentioned in the Redi pictures is where Amma learned the basics of stitching. I'll talk more about her tailoring skills tomorrow.