My Grandmother

Last weekend I thought it was a perfect weather to head to the beach as the sun was shining bright and wanted to stroll around the beach. As I was walking down the beach I received a call from my mother back home in India and this association took me down the memory lane. I grew up in India around the coastal region. As a child and even today I love going to the beach and enjoy the sunshine. My grandmother would take my brother and me to the beach every Friday evening. She would sit in the sun while we played in the water and sand. I enjoyed many memories of both my wonderful grandmother who influenced me be a person I am today and the beautiful beach.

Living along the coast the beach was the most favorite attraction for everyone. Holding our hands my grandmother would walk my brother and me to the beach. As we would reach near the beach, a streak of competition would hit us and we would run down the beach. This was time when my grandmother would discipline us. I loved the fresh air at the beach mixed with salinity. We would be at the beach for about an hour sometimes playing in the sand, building castles, and enjoying in the water. On a hot summer day the feel of the cold sand and the breeze was very soothing. It was almost a routine at the beach to eat the tender coconut and quench our thirst with the coconut water. There were different entertainment options available along the beach. Living in a crowded city of Mumbai, the beach was a longest stretch of space available for activities like horse and camel riding. My brother liked to ride a horse. Even though he would have liked to do it every time we go to the beach, it was expensive. My grandmother would let him do it only once in a while. However, when our father accompanied us, we both used to get to ride a horse. The sound of the splashing waves and the horse riding gave liveliness to the surroundings. Mumbai is close to equator and therefore the days and nights are relatively even during all seasons. As our schools used to end by 5'O clock, we never used to make it to the beach before six. During summer time the sun sets around seven so we used to get ample amount of time to play. I loved watching the sun disappear into the water which also meant that it was time to head back home. Not only did my grandmother keep an eye on us through her big round sunglasses but also instilled many values in us and taught us many things. I learnt about nature, how to respect our surroundings and also safety awareness.

I distinctly remember we would have castle building competitions, where kids would team up and build castles which would be judged. My grandmother always helped us with different ideas and channelized our creativity. At one competition when we did not do well, she taught us how to appreciate other teams and analyze things that we lacked and work on it the next time. She also cultivated the values of team work and sharing all the time during these events. The virtue