We finally met our neighbor-- Thoshi Dadi ("Dadi" means grandmom in Hindi), an 80-year old fire-cracker of a lady with thick, long hair coiled into an elegant bun. She lives alone with her butler and young maid and is fiercly independent. Despite still recuperating from a stroke that's left her partially paralyzed, she believes in the "Power of Positive Thinking" and the "Triumph of Spirit over Age." When Nani asked her if she knew of any good doctors in the area she declared, "Oh forget the silly doctors! We can't let old age get us down! We've spent our youth laughing, why should our old-age be any different??"
Thoshi Dadi and Nani couldn't be more different. Whereas my grandmom, on first meeting, seems like a soft-spoken old lady and only those close to her know of the many wicked thoughts running behind that sweet smile...Thoshi Dadi appears regal and commanding and voices her opinion on everything. And yet I think their friendship will work beautifully because they're both sweethearts (just yesterday Thoshi Dadi sent over her butler with some DVDs for Nani and I to watch), and they're both on the same page about one crucial topic: their respective granddaughters and how useless young girls these days are at finding a good boy and settling down. I smoothly stepped into the conversation at this point and mentioned that I knew of a very wonderful and tall boy from Canada (whom I've never met but whom my grandmom mentions wistfully every once in a while) that I thought would be *just perfect* for Thoshi Dadi's 28-year-old granddaughter, and I'd be happy to pass on his email to her. I know, I know... it's evil to dump my set-up on this poor girl whom I've never met, but hey, all's fair in love and war, and dodging my grandmom's matchmaking takes the skill of a jedi master... but that's a different blog all together.
3 comments:
Our neighbor across the street is in her 80s and also had a stroke, but she's as fierce and independent as always. She lives in her own house and babysits local children, and for Christmas she flew off to the midwest to visit a cousin. Every day she visits her friend in a nursing home, and she goes grocery shopping only on Wednesdays for the senior discount.
Laura--your neighbor sounds like a true old-fashioned dame...I'd love to meet her!
Piya - you are cracking me up here in snowy Boston. Passing on your arranged marriage opportunity to someone else! I just heard on NPR yesterday that the Indian wedding websites are doing 'arranged valentines' too. Hi to you and your Nani, love, Nitasha
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