LabhKunvar was born in 1919 in Jamnagar, the first born in the family. She was the eldest of 6 sisters. Back then, education for girls was not that popular, but she did go to the school, upto highschool. She was gifted, she sang quite well even without any formal music/singing training. Once, she sang a welcome song for the king of the Jamnager from her school, and the king got so happy that he gave her a gold ring with a precious jewel. which she proudly wore for rest of her life.
LabhKunvar got married at the age of 15-16. Her husband was from another state. Back then Surendranagar was another state! She went to her husbands place after 1-2 years after the marriage. He was a scholar, very close to the king of Surendranagar. He accompanied king everywhere. He went to Oxford for studies, while his wife was back home with his folks. LK was quite bold and of contemporary thinking. No one could mess with her. She was the most assertive and strongest woman I have ever seen in my life which I till date admire. Her husband was not always home, since he was studying in UK with the king, and here, she could not take her in-laws anymore. She wanted to move out and have an individualistic lifestyle. I totally support her decision. I am an individualistic person, I believe in having privacy, and having a freedom to do whatever and whenever I want.
She had a baby daughter. Her husbad comes back after a year or so after she was born, and this baby girl was his the most dearest possession, he used to take her on bicycle! after a couple of years, LK was expecting again, and when it was almost due, her husbad passed away at a very unfortunate young age... people sometimes say it was a political murder, with some kind of slow poisoning. Her husband was very loving, simple and simple minded and very intelligent man. He was a PhD in Psychology from Oxford. He wrote couple of books too. Will write on him some other time... If I would imagine myself in LK's posion, I would feel devastated, in early 1940s. Her inlaws asked her to move back with them, she did for a while, but she did not find it very encouraging. She moved back to Jamnagar with her children to her parent's place, she sharted studying again, she did PTC, and became a teacher. After finishing up her studies, she came back to her destined place, the same place, she had left. She was teaching History, geography and Guajarati to primary and highschool school kids.
What I remember from her saying, they had a very tough life, you have to wake up early in the morning, go out in the forest for your disposing off your body waste, Take a bath in river before people wake up, wash clothes on the river banks, fetch water from the well located at the end of the town/village, fill up your water for your daily needs, come home, cook for family. Back then, everyone had brick and clay mortar houses, with tiles on the roof. The floor was of cattle dung. They have to go and fetch cow dung, for multi purposes- you can dry it up and use it in a oven klin for cooking. The economic structure was not this much classified back then, everyone had every skills to survive. She used to floor her house herself! with cow dung!, she used to re-tile her roof, herself! It needs lot's of inner strength to survive like she did.
She was my Grand-ma, we called he Dadima. I lived with her for 25 years of my life, in the same house. She passed away last week...
We used to sleep with her, for so many years! She would tell us stories. I remember my brother, when young, always on her back to tell him stories. We used to tease her with 'Dadi amma, dadi amma, maan jao' song to get her to do whatever we wnat!
She was our savior when someone would bully us! I remember all of us three asking dadima at different point of times, if she would come to school with because someone was bullying. She was the rescuer! Just her presence was enough for the bullying kid! I remember, once, I was not aware that my dadima was visiting school, probably she stopped by to just to see our teachers,a nd get updates may be. And someone from my class saw her, and told her that some girl was hitting me. and that's it! I was not even present in my class, was next door or somewhere for some reason, she came running to my class, asked for that girl, and asked her why she was hitting her grand daughter..!! and I don't remember her hitting me again ever after!
She would take us to children's plays, bakor patel, chako mako etc. She was our outdoors companion! She would take us to the magic shows. I still remember having fun with her. When my mom-dad would not be home, she would make 'Bhajiyas' and chutney. She was a master in making bhajiyas! I remember, she would sit on the kitchen countertop, on a wooden step, called "Patlaa", dipping sliced vegetables into gram flour batter, and frying bhajiyas, serving us warm from the wok!
I remember, when we would go out in the city, she would take us to her fvorite ice-cream shop, and we will have at least two different kinds of ice-creams! I also remember, whenever she would come back from any trip, out of town visit, she would bring a dozen of cadbury chocolate bars for us kids. I can not forget how we- my sis, brother, mom-dad and I would go to pick her and her 'sakhi'- cousine sister from morari bapu's katha. (katha is reading of religious books, may it be mahabharata or ramayana or purana.) The katha usually goes on for days, morning to evening, and she used to go very religiously.
During summertime, we would make mango juice, it's a very traditional process, without using any electrical appliance. we would squeeze mango without making any cut on a mango skin to make it softer, until u feel it's all juice inside the mango juice, and then squeeze it in a big pot. after squeezing all the mangoes, she would take over, washing mango seeds and the skin. the water in which she would wash mango remains, we heat it up, and add spices, anf make a gravy, called 'fajeto'.
she would play cards with us, during our summer vacation. Her favorite card game was 'satya' which she would call 'satyo'. after we grew up, we had separate rooms, and before going to bed, she would do her 'sayonara' ritual. all of us wish good night, and godbless each other, and to my dadimaa, we would wish one more, sayonara, that is what was her thing. I don't remember when this tradition started..
My parents didn't believe in pocket money. So, during my school life, we never had pocket money to spend, and neither did we ask, we didn't feel need to, since, my parents were fulfilling all our reasonable wishes. Sometimes, my dadimaa would give us Rs.2 to have samosas for lunch, back then, we used to get 1 samosa for 50 Paisa. So, ideally if we would have spent money, we would get 4 samosas, but I liked multi colored, inexpensive local candy. I used to buy this candies, and have it while teacher would teach us, it was an adventure for me, since eating in school was not allowed except lunchbreaks. The amount stayed Rs.2 regardless of inflation. Later on, the samosas were selling for 80 paisa or even Rs.1! and she was still our favorite bank!
She had diabetes later on, but she took it quite well, she required to take insuline injections, and she learnt how to inject herself! I can not even look at a syringe, when someone else is poking it into my arms, she would do it herself! My dad, mom, sister would help her too. I don't remember her being bed ridden for long, even when last year when I visited home, every morning, she would take her walking stick, and walk around the house in the garden around, sit under the mango tree shadow, read all three newspapers, sipping her tea. She would go to temple in the evening, she was very regular about it. Since last few months, she did not walk to the temple, my dad or my brother or my sis would drop her off and pick her up to and from the temple. She was quite religious. When I was young, I remember her in front of a small temple in our house, and performing pooja, chanting, and doing rosary.
She was very innocent. I particularly remember this incident- I was not putting oil in my hair on at all, so my dadimaa asked someone about it, and someone just joked about it saying they punish you in USA if you put oil in your hair! And she believed it! She asked me once I ws visiting home if that's true.. I was laughing and explained her how someone fooled her. She took it well, she also started laughing!
In our house, she was the one who would be an authority of Vikram Samvant (calendar), any day, festival, on what day, date, it is falling, she was our google. We all would ask her, when is Diwali, when is Navaratri. We also called the calendar she used to get, dadimaa's calendar!
Dadimaa left this world on early morning of May 25, around 2 am.. remembering all of us.. she was satisfied that all her grand kids are happy.. I regret, I could not speak to her before she passed away.. my sister, dad and mom were with her when she left this earth.. Only satisfaction I have is she didn't suffer much, unlike many.. she had her last dinner herself, sitting in her bed, and eating with her own hands, with a satisfaction of living her life at the fullest, and satisfaction of fulfilling all her responsibilities.. She knew she is going to leave, she refused to take any medication for her last two days, and refused to take insuline, she refused to go to the hospital, she wanted be at home, she also told my brother that now, it was her time to go to god's home.. I am having hard time to believe that she gave up on herself.. she knew this time.. she prayed with my whole family around (except my brother who was out of town, and myself) before going to sleep, she also had holy water- Ganga Jal. Before she went to sleep, she called my sister, and spoke to her about all of us three kids, and showed happiness that everyone is happy and settled, though away from home. My dad witnessed her last breath.. Her mother or father whoever you may call, was LabhKunwar, and she was no more... I miss you dadimaa, very much.. we are very proud of you.. we love youvery much.. we always will remember you dadima, wherever you are, you are still alive in our hearts.. we will always seek your blessings, just like oldtimes.. May you rest in peace, in god's own home..
LabhKunvar got married at the age of 15-16. Her husband was from another state. Back then Surendranagar was another state! She went to her husbands place after 1-2 years after the marriage. He was a scholar, very close to the king of Surendranagar. He accompanied king everywhere. He went to Oxford for studies, while his wife was back home with his folks. LK was quite bold and of contemporary thinking. No one could mess with her. She was the most assertive and strongest woman I have ever seen in my life which I till date admire. Her husband was not always home, since he was studying in UK with the king, and here, she could not take her in-laws anymore. She wanted to move out and have an individualistic lifestyle. I totally support her decision. I am an individualistic person, I believe in having privacy, and having a freedom to do whatever and whenever I want.
She had a baby daughter. Her husbad comes back after a year or so after she was born, and this baby girl was his the most dearest possession, he used to take her on bicycle! after a couple of years, LK was expecting again, and when it was almost due, her husbad passed away at a very unfortunate young age... people sometimes say it was a political murder, with some kind of slow poisoning. Her husband was very loving, simple and simple minded and very intelligent man. He was a PhD in Psychology from Oxford. He wrote couple of books too. Will write on him some other time... If I would imagine myself in LK's posion, I would feel devastated, in early 1940s. Her inlaws asked her to move back with them, she did for a while, but she did not find it very encouraging. She moved back to Jamnagar with her children to her parent's place, she sharted studying again, she did PTC, and became a teacher. After finishing up her studies, she came back to her destined place, the same place, she had left. She was teaching History, geography and Guajarati to primary and highschool school kids.
What I remember from her saying, they had a very tough life, you have to wake up early in the morning, go out in the forest for your disposing off your body waste, Take a bath in river before people wake up, wash clothes on the river banks, fetch water from the well located at the end of the town/village, fill up your water for your daily needs, come home, cook for family. Back then, everyone had brick and clay mortar houses, with tiles on the roof. The floor was of cattle dung. They have to go and fetch cow dung, for multi purposes- you can dry it up and use it in a oven klin for cooking. The economic structure was not this much classified back then, everyone had every skills to survive. She used to floor her house herself! with cow dung!, she used to re-tile her roof, herself! It needs lot's of inner strength to survive like she did.
She was my Grand-ma, we called he Dadima. I lived with her for 25 years of my life, in the same house. She passed away last week...
We used to sleep with her, for so many years! She would tell us stories. I remember my brother, when young, always on her back to tell him stories. We used to tease her with 'Dadi amma, dadi amma, maan jao' song to get her to do whatever we wnat!
She was our savior when someone would bully us! I remember all of us three asking dadima at different point of times, if she would come to school with because someone was bullying. She was the rescuer! Just her presence was enough for the bullying kid! I remember, once, I was not aware that my dadima was visiting school, probably she stopped by to just to see our teachers,a nd get updates may be. And someone from my class saw her, and told her that some girl was hitting me. and that's it! I was not even present in my class, was next door or somewhere for some reason, she came running to my class, asked for that girl, and asked her why she was hitting her grand daughter..!! and I don't remember her hitting me again ever after!
She would take us to children's plays, bakor patel, chako mako etc. She was our outdoors companion! She would take us to the magic shows. I still remember having fun with her. When my mom-dad would not be home, she would make 'Bhajiyas' and chutney. She was a master in making bhajiyas! I remember, she would sit on the kitchen countertop, on a wooden step, called "Patlaa", dipping sliced vegetables into gram flour batter, and frying bhajiyas, serving us warm from the wok!
I remember, when we would go out in the city, she would take us to her fvorite ice-cream shop, and we will have at least two different kinds of ice-creams! I also remember, whenever she would come back from any trip, out of town visit, she would bring a dozen of cadbury chocolate bars for us kids. I can not forget how we- my sis, brother, mom-dad and I would go to pick her and her 'sakhi'- cousine sister from morari bapu's katha. (katha is reading of religious books, may it be mahabharata or ramayana or purana.) The katha usually goes on for days, morning to evening, and she used to go very religiously.
During summertime, we would make mango juice, it's a very traditional process, without using any electrical appliance. we would squeeze mango without making any cut on a mango skin to make it softer, until u feel it's all juice inside the mango juice, and then squeeze it in a big pot. after squeezing all the mangoes, she would take over, washing mango seeds and the skin. the water in which she would wash mango remains, we heat it up, and add spices, anf make a gravy, called 'fajeto'.
she would play cards with us, during our summer vacation. Her favorite card game was 'satya' which she would call 'satyo'. after we grew up, we had separate rooms, and before going to bed, she would do her 'sayonara' ritual. all of us wish good night, and godbless each other, and to my dadimaa, we would wish one more, sayonara, that is what was her thing. I don't remember when this tradition started..
My parents didn't believe in pocket money. So, during my school life, we never had pocket money to spend, and neither did we ask, we didn't feel need to, since, my parents were fulfilling all our reasonable wishes. Sometimes, my dadimaa would give us Rs.2 to have samosas for lunch, back then, we used to get 1 samosa for 50 Paisa. So, ideally if we would have spent money, we would get 4 samosas, but I liked multi colored, inexpensive local candy. I used to buy this candies, and have it while teacher would teach us, it was an adventure for me, since eating in school was not allowed except lunchbreaks. The amount stayed Rs.2 regardless of inflation. Later on, the samosas were selling for 80 paisa or even Rs.1! and she was still our favorite bank!
She had diabetes later on, but she took it quite well, she required to take insuline injections, and she learnt how to inject herself! I can not even look at a syringe, when someone else is poking it into my arms, she would do it herself! My dad, mom, sister would help her too. I don't remember her being bed ridden for long, even when last year when I visited home, every morning, she would take her walking stick, and walk around the house in the garden around, sit under the mango tree shadow, read all three newspapers, sipping her tea. She would go to temple in the evening, she was very regular about it. Since last few months, she did not walk to the temple, my dad or my brother or my sis would drop her off and pick her up to and from the temple. She was quite religious. When I was young, I remember her in front of a small temple in our house, and performing pooja, chanting, and doing rosary.
She was very innocent. I particularly remember this incident- I was not putting oil in my hair on at all, so my dadimaa asked someone about it, and someone just joked about it saying they punish you in USA if you put oil in your hair! And she believed it! She asked me once I ws visiting home if that's true.. I was laughing and explained her how someone fooled her. She took it well, she also started laughing!
In our house, she was the one who would be an authority of Vikram Samvant (calendar), any day, festival, on what day, date, it is falling, she was our google. We all would ask her, when is Diwali, when is Navaratri. We also called the calendar she used to get, dadimaa's calendar!
Dadimaa left this world on early morning of May 25, around 2 am.. remembering all of us.. she was satisfied that all her grand kids are happy.. I regret, I could not speak to her before she passed away.. my sister, dad and mom were with her when she left this earth.. Only satisfaction I have is she didn't suffer much, unlike many.. she had her last dinner herself, sitting in her bed, and eating with her own hands, with a satisfaction of living her life at the fullest, and satisfaction of fulfilling all her responsibilities.. She knew she is going to leave, she refused to take any medication for her last two days, and refused to take insuline, she refused to go to the hospital, she wanted be at home, she also told my brother that now, it was her time to go to god's home.. I am having hard time to believe that she gave up on herself.. she knew this time.. she prayed with my whole family around (except my brother who was out of town, and myself) before going to sleep, she also had holy water- Ganga Jal. Before she went to sleep, she called my sister, and spoke to her about all of us three kids, and showed happiness that everyone is happy and settled, though away from home. My dad witnessed her last breath.. Her mother or father whoever you may call, was LabhKunwar, and she was no more... I miss you dadimaa, very much.. we are very proud of you.. we love youvery much.. we always will remember you dadima, wherever you are, you are still alive in our hearts.. we will always seek your blessings, just like oldtimes.. May you rest in peace, in god's own home..
