Ponnu Paati was her name, meaning grandmother, but she was my great-grandmother.

She always wore an off-white sari, a colour traditionally associated with widows, and was without any jewelry or the red dot on her forehead. She did not wear a blouse, and her sagging breasts showed intermittently.

The shock when I realised Ponnu Paati was bald was when I playfully tugged at her sari pallu, which covered her head ... her scalp was poky. I screamed and ran back crying to my mother.

I was five years old.

		the tomato rasam 
		she used to make—
		my children 
			now know 
		the recipe by heart 

Bio: Kala Ramesh