Story of my story teller

They say we humans are nothing but DNA and small stories that people can relate! Some stories last for decades, while some for centuries. Some leave behind a deep impact and inspire, while some fade with times. One person whose life story is nothing but inspiration is that of my story teller… my maternal grandmother Nalini Nadkarni Sablok

My story teller – Nalini

Nalini, fondly known as Nala tai was born in 1928 in Savardem, south Goa. She was the eldest daughter of Ramchandra and Shantabai Nadkarni. Born to a zamindar family (incidentally the house she was born is now a heritage building and managed by Trust), Nalini grew up in a large traditional household in Goa and later shifted to Karwar. As kids, we remember stories of her growing up in Majalee, a quaint village along the Goa border in Karwar district of Karnataka. Her father did not get along with Portuguese government and shifted his family to Karwar with their maternal grandparents

400 year old Savardekar (Nadkarni) house in Goa where Nalini was born

My interest to study history was nothing but an outcome of countless stories, heard as a kid, of her growing days. It used to be so vivid that it would take us back in time like a time machine! Her adventures of growing up as a carefree kid in house of her maternal grandparents, stories she heard as a kid in temples, of village ghost and Lord Mangeshi, would make us believe that there existed village ghost who would ride horse on empty village road at nights. Nonetheless each of her stories left us with a message, learning – to be courageous, to believe in the superpower, to follow right path

While some stories were for fun, a large part of her stories were about her schooling and search for knowledge… something she continued till the very end… be it learning Reiki at age of 85 or being upto date on world news till the age of 93 before pandemic!

Dadarchi aai, as we fondly called her was not an ordinary grandmother or Aaji. The day I was born, the rule in the house was as clear …. who at the age of 48 would like to be called Aaji! She would prefer to be called as Dadarchi Aai since she stayed at Dadar those days! Having set the context, let me share life story of a young teenager from small village who transformed to be one of the strongest and respected woman I ever met.

From a carefree childhood, not interested in going to school, playing on beaches, being pampered by her aunts and her grandfather, her life changed when there came teacher from Mumbai to start “English medium” school in her village. Karwar which borders Goa was part of British India then and British government those days started strengthening education system at village level with focus on English as medium of learning. From a girl who quit studies after 4th standard, Nalini found her future in books. She went on to complete her Matriculation with grit and determination. Till 8th she said it was easy since school was in her own village and she was one of the brightest student in her class. Her command over English and other subjects was so good that inevitably when the British school inspectors would visit her school she was the one who would get nominated to answer all questions.

Higher secondary however was not easy. She along with her mother’s younger brother and her younger brother (both almost her age) were sent to taluka town to complete matriculation. Being a girl she had dual responsibility of cooking and managing the house for 3 of them and completing her schooling. Adding to her difficulty, was the rule that her father had set….come rain or storm she had to visit home on weekends. I remember the frustration, anger, helplessness on her face when she would describe how Monday mornings in rains they would walk for miles, empty stomach, crossing the river to reach school all drenched and then coming home and cooking lunch for 3 of them. Preparing lunch those days was not easy since those days there was no electricity nor any gadgets. 30 years back when I first visited Majalee and Sadashivgad, the taluka place, I could relate to her pain and understood what it would have meant walking across kaccha roads, crossing creek during monsoon. It was nothing less than 3 hours walk in knee length water to her village on Saturday afternoon and back on taluka place on Monday mornings!

Majalee, small coastal town in north Karnataka

What she learnt those days were lessons she passed on to us – never quit, never complain and work selflessly for others. She said while she was fortunate that she had freedom to study and also move out of her house to study, she did feel discriminated as a girl child. Be it managing cooking, washing, cleaning house or writing her Matriculation exam with quill dipped in ink while her cousins had fountain pens ordered from Mumbai. She stayed determined, passed Matriculation with flying colours and moved to Pune to pursue her graduation and to lead life on her terms.