EULOGY TO

GRANDMOM

I feel very happy to be presenting tributes

to honour my grandmother. They have
been sent by all my cousins who are
unable
to be present at this memorial service. I
will be reading them in the order of oldest
to youngest.
But first I would like to read a quote sent
by Henry Uncle, Ammammas nephew
from Dubai. Ammammas petname was
Chitty and heres the quote from him:
Chitty Aunty you are the essence of life
and cheer
You inspire no end all who are near and
dear
You took the load of pain and sorrow in our
lives
And even in death taught us how Christs
kingdom thrive

Four generations

It broke my heart to lose you, but you did

not go alone.
A part of me went with you, the day God
took you home.
If tears could build a stairway, and
heartaches make a lane,
Id walk my way to heaven, and bring you
back again.
In life I loved you dearly, in death I love
you still,
in my heart you hold a place no one could
ever fill.
You are so special to me Amamma and I
love you unconditionally. I miss you with
every passing second and I just hope and
pray that one day I could be something of
the woman that you were.
With all my love.Meghna.

"Dearest Amamma
No words can describe the void
you've left in my heart. You taught
me so many valuable life lessons
and always led by example. Your
strength amidst adversity and your
smile through extreme pain gave
me the strength to face the tough
times in my life.Your legacy will
always live on in my life through
the values you've left with me,
which I will emulate to the best of
my abilities. There's a certain
darkness in our hearts this evening
but one brighter star in heaven
tonight.
Rajiv
P.S. I'm sure thatha is loving having
you back all to himself and both of
you can resume dating again

RODNEY, JYOTSNA AND ASHA

Being the only grandmother I have

ever known, Nanamma was the
absolute best! Growing up with
Nanamma I loved sitting on the bed
and watching her get ready. She was
so precise putting on a sari, pinning
her broach, and combing her hair into
a bun. She was immaculate.We left
for America when I was 7 and though
I didn't see her everyday like I was
used to, she always stayed with
me.Now having a daughter of my
own, I see Nanammas traits in her.
Although Asha only met my
Nanamma once, she's does
something that I see my Dad and
Nanamma do. When Asha
concentrates really hard doing
something, she sticks the tip of her
tongue slightly out of her mouth while
focusing.And even though I won't see
Nanamma anymore, I'll remember her
always but especially when Asha or
my Dad are focusing all their

Susheel
Nanamma was truly one of a kind.
The simple way she would call my
name (in person or over the phone:
nana Susheel). Her voice carried
with it such tremendous
compassion, yet in a very small
voice, it was totally disarming and
revealed the kind, truly caring and
humble nature of my grandmother.
She was always standing up for us
(once while I was being harassed by
uncles and cousins at my cousins
nalugu). She was always straight
and to the point especially when it
came to getting married and
finding a girl. She was always
caring, always concerned, always
kind and most definitely always
loving. I thank God for the
influence that she has had and will
continue to have on our family.
Praise God for Nanamma.

DEEPTI

My dearest Grandmom is one in a

million. I remember how I would
constantly make fun of her second
name and call her Hemalathaaato
whichshe would giggle and say Aayee.
She was the love of our lives, our strong
pillar that held the family through every
storm.My warrior princess who would
boldly put on her armour and step on to
the battlefield, fearless and strong,
then smile believing that the battle was
won already.I admire her faith and
willpower to stand firm in every
situation, irrespective of how
overwhelming it seemed. She has
always encouraged each of us to press
on and never give up and that spirit
shall never die.

I have several fond memories of

Ammamma, but few of them are, when
she would tell everyone possible about
my grades and marks and make it such
a big deal and Id be like Uh.. Did I
really do that well?.. her excitement
when I was made a school captain in St.
Anns or did well in the marchpast,
when she would scream every time Abi

my tiffin that Mom packed to school everyday

and replace it with what she cooked, her
recipes with the Oriya-Telugu twist, her crab
curry where she would patiently workthrough
those shells and feed us, her funny songs and
her epic bedroom where all of us grandkids
would squeeze into and sleep beside her like
babies.

I salute her.. andshe will always always be my

biggest inspiration every time I face a
challenge, because whatever my Grandmom
has endured with a smile is something none of
us can accomplish. One thing that always stood
out in her life was Jesus, He was the centre of
her life; all her conversations would revolve
around Gods love, His grace and goodness. I
thank God for this amazing lady of faith that
has had a huge impact on my life and I hope I
at least showcase some bit of her character in

Dear Ammama,
ABISHAI
I find it hard to believe that you are no longer with us, but Im also
comforted that you are in a place where all the happiness will be
yours and that you will be meeting your jaaneman in heaven. I just
want to thank you for being an inspiration to me throughout my life
and thank you for all the love that you have shown since I was a boy.
Thank you for the idli and sugar, the curd rice, the monkey and
crocodile story, the Rs.10 in the morning before I went to school, for
waking up in the middle of the night to cover me, for the jokes and
tears we

shared and the long conversations about your childhood

and for the bits and pieces of oriya you taught me.
Thank you for those long prayers in perfect Telugu and
those murukus and rose cookies during Christmas. I find it
sad that we will not be singing happy birthday on
Christmas day for you but Im sure its going to be a party
up in Heaven. Lastly, I remember your prayer for me
just before I left for Melbourne and I will always
remember it for the rest of my life. I look up to you
Ammama and I will always hope to be the loving person
you were. Thank you Caroline Hemalatha Fredericks for
making this beautiful family for us and loving each one of
us with unconditional love. I miss you a lot and
Walkertown will never be the same house without you.
Hoping to see you again someday. I love you ammama.
Your loving grandson,
Benjamin Abishai
P.S : Thank you for your blessings and the dimples

Andrew
Walkertown will no longer be the
same without you Ammamma. I
thank God for giving us the best
Ammamma ever. Few memories of
Ammamma which will always put a
smile on my face are: the famous
Cinderella box being opened to
give us pocket money, asking the
family to sing Devude
naakashrayambu at prayer
meetings and lastly kissing us on
the forehead and blessing us with
beautiful wives or husbands.
Thank you for all that you have
done for us ammamma. We will
make you proud. Love you loads.
You will be missed tremendously.
Muah!

MEN IN BLACK
She was a great sport, as you
can see from the picture

I am so used to coming home and

seeing Ammamma there that I cannot
imagine the house without her. When
we were in school she would help us
with our homework, pack our bags,
special snacks for the break and lunch
and pocket money. My darling
Ammamma always said that I was her
left eye and Abi her right eye. Once
Abi left, I became her right and left
eye, right and left hand and everything
else. As a child, she always kept an
eye on me as I would be restless and
talk in my sleep. But later, the roles
were reversed and I was doing that for
her. She was very confident that I
could take care of all her needs like
carrying her and moving her around,
driving her when she had to go out. I
had the privilege of sleeping in the
same room with her, talking to her late
into the night and even being strict
when she did not eat well. I would call
her my ATM because she always
provided the money for whatever I
wanted. She was always jovial and her
smile made my day. It gave me the
confidence that everything is going to

Sarah
Being the youngest grandchild, I
came into the family when
Ammamma was not as healthy
as all my cousins have known
her to be. I remember that she
has always been frail, but
despite her weakness she always
made me feel very loved and
went out of her way to do special
things for me. Mom told me of
something that she did for me Though she was retired, she
started a Life Insurance Policy for
me so that it would help when I
finished my schooling. She was
always the best dressed, the
most good looking in the family
and had the best dimples. She
would call me by my full name
Sarah Vandana and always had a
radiant smile even when she was
strapped on to oxygen and other
tubes. I love her very much and
thank God for giving me such a

WITH HER GREAT GRANDCHILDREN

Noah and Asha

This poem and picture was published in a book as part

of other poems by Jenny Moss a teacher in New
Zealand
Family Christmas in Hyderabad,
The gathering of generations
bound in love.

"I see you, Great Grandma

I see you looking at me.
You love me, I know, you told
me so."

Across many years we connect, our

eyes, out minds, out hearts with
love, to hold forever precious. Age
old wisdom is shared between us,
way beyond this life.

THANK YOU KUMARI

AND MARY FOR YOUR
LOVING CARE