India Daily Photo

By: anupreet

Mar 19 2010

Category: Anupreet, Daily Photo

tags: darji, dhody, grandpa

9 Comments »

Its a strange feeling to know that someone who’s helped me grow as a child doesn’t remember me anymore! My grandpa, whom we lovingly call Darji, is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He doesn’t remember me at all… At times he thinks I’m his mom, sometimes his sister, his daughter, or his good old neighbor..  To him, everybody is a stranger and all strangers are a part of his family…

Darji suffered from a brain-stroke several months back, and the whole of 2009, I’ve thankfully seen him recover drastically! I got back from a short trip yesterday afternoon and saw him at the dining table. He had a bib around his neck and was struggling to hold the spoon upright. I spent a few moments teaching him how to hold the spoon straight, and felt nostalgic.. He had taught me to do the same things several years back! I feel he’s like a child again.. He thinks everyone is elder to him and greets everyone with folded hands followed by his strong Army handshake!

(Darji will turn 86 next week. He was born near Rawalpindi in Pakistan, and moved to Shimla during Partition in 1947. He completed his post-graduation before migrating to India and has served the Indian Army for 42 years.)