5 grandparent-grandchildren bonding stories that are just pure love!
Every relationship of ours adds another layer of love in our lives, but we bet nothing says unconditional love more than the bond we share with our grandparents! Here are some cute stories that will definitely remind you of your grandparents. If they do, don’t forget to give them a hug if they stay with you or a call if they’re far away!
“My grandmother and I are best friends. She tells me that when I was born, we were living in a chawl system and I’d always sleep in her room. Only when she’d sing a few songs would I finally sleep! She brought me up. I remember, on most days, when she’d pick me up from school, she’d buy me ice-creams or dosas on our way home. I loved those times. That bond of love hasn’t broken even today.
After work, when I come back home, we listen to the radio until 2:00am. I can talk to her about anything and everything and she always has the best advice! And the best part is that she’s a child at heart. She loves to eat ice-cream -- even when my parents tell her that she shouldn't, considering she’s 83 years old, she doesn’t listen to a word. We often share a big bowl of ice-cream when no one else is around -- I guess we’re still two children, not growing up together!”
"We've both come out for our evening walk actually. These past 3 years she's been playing with me all day and I've gone back to being a child myself…and I love that! She's growing up so fast -I can't believe she's going to Jr. Kg. already...what will I do once she goes to school all day?"
“When Deb was 10, he came up to me with a dress that he’d stitched for his friend’s doll; it was beautiful. He said he wants to make clothes for his own doll too. So I bought him his first Barbie doll for Durga Pooja. He was so happy! He visited me during all his school holidays. We’d stitch together and take music classes. As time passed, we didn’t get to spend as much time together. But 3 years back, I moved in with my kids and that’s when I really got to know him.
Once his Ma was on call with him – I asked her what they were talking about. That’s when she told me, ‘Deb is interested in boys.’ I didn’t understand what she meant. That week, she showed me a film in which 2 men fell in love. I was confused but she explained that it was normal. Soon, we started watching these movies every other night. I really enjoyed them and didn’t feel uncomfortable. I was learning more every day. After one such movie, she said, ‘You see how this boy has a partner, Deb also has a male partner.’ My only thought at that point was, ‘I’m happy if he is happy.’
So when my grandson brought his partner home, I felt like he was my own grandson – he was such a kind boy! Infact, one day, Deb, his partner and his Ma told me that there is a film festival which they wanted to take me to. I was very excited. They suggested I dress up in a blue saree– she said it was closest to the rainbow colour which is what people usually wore at these festivals. We had so much fun that day–lots of people even came up to me and asked what I thought of the festival. I told them, ‘I love it! Everything is so colourful and everyone is so warm and welcoming!’ I think I was the only dadi there!
From then, we started going to more such events together. I enjoyed them so much that I told him– ‘I’d rather go to a festival than to the temple!’ Unfortunately, last year, my grandson and his partner ended their relationship. I was very worried, but he said that it was for the better. Now my grandson is single. He recently told me, ‘Amma, I have been single for a year.’ I said, ‘Deb, you will find him.’ My only wish is that he finds someone who loves him unconditionally.
Honestly I’m still learning new terms like gay and queer everyday. Sometimes I forget so I say ‘special friend’. I’m even a part of a support group of parents of queer boys and girls. Sometimes parents ask me for my views and I tell them that I am very happy with my grandson. He is just following his heart, and everyone should! Then I secretly tell him, ‘As long as you give me great-grandkids haan!’”
“It was only when he crossed his 90’s did I realise that I may not have that much time left with him. I grew up in the same house with him, and even if nobody would, he always took my side and got me what I wanted! But as I grew older, we didn’t spend as much time together.
This one time I’d just returned from a trip abroad, and during one of our conversations, he asked me what it felt like, travelling on an aeroplane. That’s when it struck me that he was almost a century old, but had never sat on a plane! I’d feel guilty often, for not having him around in my life as much. But I decided that if nothing else, I was going to make this happen for him. We knew we couldn’t travel a long distance and had a limited budget, but the minute I told him that I was going to take him on a flight -- the way his face lit up, made everything easier!
I booked a one-day round trip from Pune to Bangalore. Even though the trip was only for a day, we spent 3 days planning it!He even told his friends, ‘My granddaughter is taking me on a plane ride’! I love that he was so excited!
On the morning of our flight he was ready well before time, wearing an ironed kurta-pyjama and his signature cap! At the airport he refused any wheelchair assistance and preferred to walk on his own. I’d requested the window seat for him and as the flight took off, he kept pointing out how the city was getting smaller & smaller! After a while I asked him, ‘How does this feel?’ and he said, ‘It’s just like a bus ride over the clouds!’
Something so simple was giving him so much happiness -- and it felt so good to share that with him! Once we reached Bangalore, we explored the airport, went to a nearby restaurant to eat dosa and took the flight back. All throughout he was afraid that we’d miss our plane from the ‘plane station!’ As soon as we reached home, he didn’t even wait a second before going to his friends -- who were waiting to hear about his adventure!
This year he turned a 100 years old -- and he said that even though he’s seen a lot of the world -- when we were on the flight, it felt like he was seeing the world for the first time! He made me realise that you’re never too old to chase your dreams... and it’s never too late to check things off of your bucket list!”
“So the other day, I made an Instagram account for my great grandmother. Until then, she watched Kishore Kumar songs on YouTube, but Instagram was foreign to her. Her first response was, ‘Oh you can talk to your friends also on this?’, and she sent follow requests to two of her relatives.
When I was writing her bio, she instructed me to add that she’s 97, has worked in farming and that she’s a great great grandmother! Then she said, ‘Add call me mum,’ since everyone usually calls her that! Next, I put up a DP for her, she was so surprised and confused, she asked, ‘How did my picture come here?’ but after that she’s been happily clicking selfies and telling me to post them!
Her new favourite pose is the peace sign one... after learning that it means ‘shanti’. Sometimes, I catch her changing the filter, and she says ‘lol’ when changing the filter...I still don’t think she understands what it is! And she’s very selective with her photos, she makes me delete all the ones she doesn’t like...she’s definitely getting on with the insta game!
So when I told her that Humans of Bombay reposted our insta-story, she got so excited– she asked if celebrities would know her now! I can’t wait for her to see this post– I’m going to tell her she’s about to be viral! She’ll love it!”
Being India’s biggest storytelling platform, Humans of Bombay is all about bringing you extraordinary stories of ordinary people. We hope these stories inspire you to pick up the phone and tell your grandparents how much you love them! A simple hug and a chat is all they need from you… If you’d like to read more such stories, check out our book and dive into the diverse tales of a country with a billion beating hearts!
Nisha
These reminded me of my grandmom <3 <3