This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

By: Keyur Seta

First things first – BlogAdda comes up with the topic of grandparents for its Wow activity in the same week my grandmother passes away. It has barely been six days since she left us and here I am writing about her as part of a blogging activity. Just a co-incidence? Well, not in my opinion.

You are bound to recall a huge chunk of incidents and teachings related to a family member who has spent more than 30 years with you and my grandmother – Damayanti Seta – is no exception. So, naturally, it is not possible to pin down a single lesson or memory of hers. Still, I have somehow zeroed in on one.

Saving money for the future was something she always preached, not just to us but to others as well. She, along with my grandfather, faced financial hardships when they were new in Bombay in around 1949. My grandfather earned Rs 75 per month working for the Great India Investment Company at Fountain. As she had seen such days, she knew the dangers of not having enough savings.

At one point of time, in order to meet the needs of the family, she started working as an estate agent. It is rare to see a woman entering this profession even in today’s era. So, you can imagine how people reacted in those days when my granny introduced herself as an estate agent.

I vividly remember, as a child, accompanying her as she showed different apartments to her clients. A ride with her in the sidecar of Bajaj scooter, during one such visit, is unforgettable. And as I am writing this, I realize I haven’t sat in the sidecar of a scooter ever after that.

Anyways, coming back to the topic, my grandparents’ biggest lesson of saving money came with their process of buying the first television set in our family. They were fond of watching Hindi films in theatres. Their financial progress was enough to allow them to watch films each month. Then one day, the thought of buying a TV, the latest sensation back then, crossed their minds. But they weren’t so strong financially to buy a TV at that very moment.

My granny came up with a plan of not watching a single movie for the next 10 months. The money saved by not entertaining themselves for this period would help them get entertained on a daily basis (Yes, TV was a source of proper entertainment in those days). This is how a black and white EC TV landed in our house.

I guess I have inherited the habit of not spending money unnecessarily from her. Well, this reminds me that I haven’t checked my balance since long.