Chronicle Of A Grand Relation

Life is a journey. We keep repeating this “old cliché” day after day. We answer our friends, well-wishers, relatives with a short "Yeah, it's going on, nothing special..." to a question "How is life?" When we refer to “journey”, we mean a normal flow of life or rather, a passing phase which makes one older and older.

What happens towards the end of this journey is that a young individual turn into a matured one and then eventually, into a senior person. When that old age finally arrives, one starts to feel a sense of deep loss. A big part of one’s life has already got completed, parenthood has passed away and a major part of life has already been spent taking care of bills, payments, investments and returns. There has been practically no time to take care of the kids. By the time age hits the higher numbers the children are all grown up and taking care of their own lives. However, life is a mixed bag. It offers profit after loss. There are the grandchildren to fill up any gaps that were there in the life so far.

Be it a grandfather or a grandmother, the association with their grandchildren is very special. One of the most honest and everlasting relationships. We see, quite often, grandchildren reviving a grandparent, re-looking at his or her life and even restoring his or her credentials. Examples are many. The great Pablo Picasso and his works are known worldwide. His granddaughter, Marina Picasso, wants to sell some of his unknown works and thereby raise funds to donate to various charities. The famous Hollywood superstar Bridget Fonda is continuing to glorify the legacy of her grandfather, Henry Fonda, a well-known actor of his times. The great Oprah Winfrey – whom many credits as being a leading personality for the enhancement of American society and its dreams – was raised up to an age of 6 by her grandmother. She says "I am where I am today because my grandmother gave me the foundation for success..."

                                                                                                         

From the successful to the commoners – examples of honesty, longevity and love are abundant in this symbiotic relationship of a grandchild and a grandparent. Several years ago, when I was still a school-goer, on my way home from school, I would often come across a mosque in my town. It would be afternoon and the time would be for "Asr" (the afternoon prayer). Interestingly, the most common sight would be that of a grandfather holding the hand of a grandson and both enjoying each other’s company. It showed me the essence of heritage and the fundamentals of legacy. A sense of dependency, and an urge to know from someone, who has seen the world a lot more. There is the other side of the coin too. A grandfather waits patiently to hear the news of his granddaughter's birth. There is hardly any pain for a grandmother even if she needs to wake up in the early hours of the morning for her grandson. Grandparents travelling miles, often flying miles to meet their grandchildren is never a question of expense. A plan is always ready when the grandchildren asks for a sleep-over. A grandma is always ready to prepare the most favorite dish of her grandchildren whenever possible, just to bring a smile on their faces.

For sure, from America to Japan and from Greenland to South Africa, mankind has hardly failed in this unique relation. If the dull, monotonous mid-life of an individual draws them apart from their children, the aged life becomes a bliss. A father-son, a mother-daughter or take any other permutations and combinations of this relationship – a failure is not unlikely. But add a generation to it and take the grandparent-grandchildren equation – chances are that it will be a success! To end the piece, I will add a few quotations. I do not know the veracity of these quotes, but they are as they are, coming from some source or the other.

A Spanish quotation says: "Those who have no grandparents lose very much."

A traditional statement goes like this: "Grandparents, like heroes, are as necessary to a child's growth as vitamins."

And then a very good one I found is: "If nothing is going well, call your grandmother."