The Messiah of 46th street

She was in her early forties. She exuded such a warmth,her smiling face, made people, especially kids swarm around her.Padma was the tenant,who lived in the outhouse of my aunt's bungalow in 46th street, Vijaya Colony. Her husband'Accounts mama' as we called him, was an accountant .Their little outhouse would be stacked with ledgers,papers,files and accounting records.


When we would visit my aunt's place during school holidays, I would find Padma standing eagerly at the gate to receive us.She would greet us,always cheerfully.'How were your exams,how did you do your Tamil papers?' She would ask me. She was a Godmother to all the kids in the colony. My aunt would call out to her from the terrace of her bungalow, she would come out running, 'Enna,mami 'My aunt would request her 'Padma ,can you please take Babu, for a walk,he is crying a lot '.Babu was my little cousin. Padma would be happy to do so.She would tell 'Mami,just coming'.It seemed as though Padma loved it when people took liberties with her.

Padma and Accounts mama,were childless and were by now reconciled to that. Padma would jovially tell Accounts mama,'If you wish ,you can remarry.I will happily take care of your children'.Accounts Mama was a very kind man.He too,loved children.He too would say 'I should have listened to my amma and remarried long ago' and they would laugh about it. She was his friend,philosopher and guide. And he was a good husband. She respected him for being dutiful and for working so hard.He too never let her down, even though they were often made the brunt of insensitive remarks on infertility.

He would always take her to her favourite Rajini movie and buy her weekly magazines which she loved to read and solve crosswords.He would sometimes try his culinary skills,make her favourite 'rasam',which she loved.They would discuss on current issues from newspapers and magazines and solve Tamil crossword puzzles.He was her son and she was his daughter. She would offer to help him in updating his record books.They respected each other and were good friends.

She would tell us kids wonderful stories.She would help us with writing and reading Tamil in the holidays when we visited Chennai.We would get a good scolding from her when we made spelling mistakes.

Padma was a good listener.She would give a patient ear to the woes of neighbours in Vijaya colony.She would listen to Nirmala's mil complaints about her dil Nirmala and vice versa.Both were sure that they could confide in her and so would often call her to tell their tales.

She would listen to Rengasamy Tatha's analysis about the headlines and also to his Slokas, he would sit chanting on the verandah of his house.One day Rengasamy Tatha was returning from the market holding so many bags.She said 'Tatha,here,give me the bags,I will carry them'.Once,I remember, she went running in the rains to collect the clothes of her neighbour Nirmala,from outside and left them in the verandah,shouting "Nirmala,your clothes". Nirmala scolded her 'What Padma,you could have hurried a bit,see all the clothes are half-wet".I asked "Nirmala mami didnot thank you Padma[all the children called her by name],you helped her?Padma said"Oh,no,it is okay,Nirmala is very good at heart".

She would call out to my aunt,' Mami I am going to the market,do you want me to get something for you from the store'.And Padma was busier than anyone else in the street.I would wonder why she had to go out of her way to do this for anyone.

She was an expert at making sweets and savouries.Her sweets were delicious.She loved making them.We would often go to her and ask 'Padma,what sweet you have made?.She would always treat us with groundnut laddoos or snack which she prepared for 'Accounts mama'.Mama loved to munch some snack, when he did his accounts work at home on weekends.

When Subha was to deliver her second baby,Padma had offered to carry lunch for Subha's elder daughter ,Priya. She would return home and tell her "Subha,I stood at the gate and watched her as she sat in the play area.She managed to stuff it all up before the bell went ".Subha said looking very relieved "Thanks Padma,what would I do without you".

One day,Ramesh,Nirmala mami's son, fell into a puddle,while learning his new bike,Padma had hurriedly ,taken him to the water pipe on the road and had washed his muddy clothes and bike.All this while Nirmala was shouting at her son for being so careless."Don't scold him Nirmala,he is only a child",she said.

When she was down with fever,the whole 46th street came to her little outhouse to enquire about her.'Nirmala,her mil,Subha,Raji,Rengasamy Tatha and the kids all were there.Only after many years,I realised how meaningful her life was.

During one of the holidays,we went with her to the nearby temple.My sister and me.She made us sit on the temple steps and started her 'Pradakshinas'.We waited for her to finish, she went on and on .We played in the steps and waited.After a long time ,she came upto us.I asked her 'Padma ,how many Pradakshinas you did?',she said '108'.'For what?', my sister asked.She looked very sad,she said "Subbu,is not
well."What happened to Subbu?" we asked her. 'Raji mami told me they had been to the Children's hospital yesterday,he is very ill and so I was praying for him".We didnot know about his illness then.After six months Subbu had died .But her prayers for him
stayed in my memory forever.

She is very old now ,in her late sixties.When I visited my aunt's place two years ago, she was at the gate ,she said "how these years fly" and hugged my daughter . She is the same person,still doing what she loves the most.Playing with her grandchildren', being the Godmother and grandmother to the children of those children, who were nurtured by her love and affection.And that lovely radiant smile still remains in
her face.

Dear Meera,

What a wonderful lady that must have been.You hardly find such nice souls these days.You were lucky to come in contact with her,So well told and described, I would nominate this as the winning entry on FB for July.

Regards.kamal

Dear Kamalji,

I thank you for your first comments.And for nominating this.
This is only my tribute to Padma and my memories of the little things she did for everyone around her. She is a very warm hearted person.

So I wished to write my good memories of her.Yes,I am blessed to have known her. I thank you again, so much for your kind comments here.


regards

meera

Wow,Wow, Meera Mam...
That was a Neat and Profound writing....You have very well penned your nostalgic memories....

What a great lady she is..... Very hard to find women like this.. A wonderful tribute by you for her...

Dear Brindha,

Thanks for appreciating this writeup and for your comments here. Padma doenot have children,but she loves all the kids as her own .Her memories made me nostalgic.

thanks and regards

meera

Dear Meera,

That was an wonderful tribute to Padma a la an ode to Padma....... It is very rare to find these kind of gems dear. Cherish them when you have them.

That is the Love she had for everybody, people should learn a lesson or two from her.

Thanks Meera for briging her here. May she live long with good health, happiness and more of Love.

Originally Posted by lalitha shivaguru

Dear Meera,

That was an wonderful tribute to Padma a la an ode to Padma....... It is very rare to find these kind of gems dear. Cherish them when you have them.

That is the Love she had for everybody, people should learn a lesson or two from her.

Thanks Meera for briging her here. May she live long with good health, happiness and more of Love.

Dear Lalitha mam,

Thank you for your wonderful comments. I cherish her memories of people like Padma.


regards

meera

Dear Meera
You have written very well on a wonderful lady.. indeed you are fortunate to know such a soul.. they are rare these days!

Dear Anand chitra ma'm

I thank you for your comments.

dear meera,


a well written lovely tribute to padma mami...such a dear she is ...i loved the way the couple lived..so much love for each other and the community they lived...a fine example of positive living...

Mindi