ITM for, intimidating task master. She was always at war. With this imperfect world, and her perfect concept of it . As a result, she would channelise all her brilliance into finding fault with things that would seem ordinarily, perfect and flawless.
She would be sitting in this holiday cottage , owned by a former royalty and governor to boot, with all these antique bric- a-brac adorning the walls; mounted , stuffed tiger /deer heads staring down at us from various corners, and she would discover cobwebs in the corner. The vegetarian dish would have beans too raw for her, bathwater too lukewarm.
Such was her obsession with perfection that she would harangue her son on his paunch, grandson on his stoop, granddaughter on her crooked teeth, all in public ( with the sensitivity of a sledgehammer) loud enough for the neighbours to hear.She would swaddle her grandchild in a blanket with arms by her side,whereas she always slept with her arms over her head.Several times in a day , this charade would repeat itself, as she swaddled the sleeping infant, who by some miraculous force of nature, wriggled her arms free within minutes of being swaddled, while fast asleep.
Her advancing age did not diminish her caustic attack on the alleged imperfections. The hands shook, the fingernail long and cracked but the finger would point alright; at pots not scrubbed adequately, at marble floors that gathered grime on the edges, at the epicurean elder son buttering his toast, at curtains that needed washing , at frayed edges of her daughter-in-law's faded kurtas, her world was just too imperfect for her.
In an attempt to make the earth bend to her squeaky clean laws, nature ended bending her up instead. The constant and failing wars against cockroaches, grime , fungus, dog-hair, fraying/wearing out of things/bodies/senses took its toll.
It bend her instead. Double, literally.
Old and infirm, now she is a laughing stock of the family for her finickiness .
She is also on a heavy dosage of antidepressants.
But as rahim/kabir said -nindak niyare rakhiye , aangan kuti chavaih/ bin sabun , paani bina; nirmal kare suhaih (keep your critics under your roof; and you will shine through)
She would be sitting in this holiday cottage , owned by a former royalty and governor to boot, with all these antique bric- a-brac adorning the walls; mounted , stuffed tiger /deer heads staring down at us from various corners, and she would discover cobwebs in the corner. The vegetarian dish would have beans too raw for her, bathwater too lukewarm.
Such was her obsession with perfection that she would harangue her son on his paunch, grandson on his stoop, granddaughter on her crooked teeth, all in public ( with the sensitivity of a sledgehammer) loud enough for the neighbours to hear.She would swaddle her grandchild in a blanket with arms by her side,whereas she always slept with her arms over her head.Several times in a day , this charade would repeat itself, as she swaddled the sleeping infant, who by some miraculous force of nature, wriggled her arms free within minutes of being swaddled, while fast asleep.
Her advancing age did not diminish her caustic attack on the alleged imperfections. The hands shook, the fingernail long and cracked but the finger would point alright; at pots not scrubbed adequately, at marble floors that gathered grime on the edges, at the epicurean elder son buttering his toast, at curtains that needed washing , at frayed edges of her daughter-in-law's faded kurtas, her world was just too imperfect for her.
In an attempt to make the earth bend to her squeaky clean laws, nature ended bending her up instead. The constant and failing wars against cockroaches, grime , fungus, dog-hair, fraying/wearing out of things/bodies/senses took its toll.
It bend her instead. Double, literally.
Old and infirm, now she is a laughing stock of the family for her finickiness .
She is also on a heavy dosage of antidepressants.
But as rahim/kabir said -nindak niyare rakhiye , aangan kuti chavaih/ bin sabun , paani bina; nirmal kare suhaih (keep your critics under your roof; and you will shine through)
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