“Oh it will be a saga by itself,” chorus the family about the rapport of the grandparents. Iswaran cherished his Patta, who took care of him, till her last breath. “She would insist on supervising when he had his meals and constantly checked his needs,” says Gayathri. Nithyasree narrates, amidst laughter, how he rose to the occasion in a crisis. Pattammal had to present a concert at the Music Academy. “Amma would get ready an hour ahead and leave for the venue. A taxi had been booked since my father was not in town. There was no sign of the vehicle and she got restless. Turning to my grandfather, she declared, ‘You have to drive us to the Academy.’ He was taken aback. At 85, it was several years since he sat behind the wheel. And he was used to driving a Chevrolet. How could he handle a Maruti 800, which he dubbed a ‘matchbox?’ But Paatti was clear. ‘It’s a car, right? You can drive.’ So we trooped into it and we reached the venue on time. ‘Here, I have brought you to the concert in one piece,’ he said. “I knew you would,” she replied sweeping into the hall.”
