Homegrown luxuries
THE WEEK India|June 30, 2024
My grandfather would have turned 99 last month.
NAMRATA ZAKARIA
Homegrown luxuries

We lost him very early, more than 20 years ago, to a terminal illness. Like with most able and kind patriarchs, their passing swallows up the entire family. I don't think we were ever the same again.

But on each of his birthdays, each Father's Day, each Christmas Eve (the day he passed), I think of him more and more. Most of my memories are based on his possessions, rather than life's lessons he barely voiced. For example, a distinct memory is watching him polish his own shoes every evening. I have no idea why he did this, since we had a small army of staff to help us. I had asked my grandmother once, and she answered with an eye roll. She hadn't the foggiest idea either, and I'm assuming this habit irked her.

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