Nani-processor

Watching my Nani learn how to use computers is a very interesting exercise. While teaching her I am learning so many things that I thought I already knew about her.

The Hindi word for maternal grandmother is nani (नानी). For the last five years my nani has expressed persistent interest in learning about computers. I spend very little time per year with her in these years. I am living in Bombay with her for a period of three months this time, so we have started our sessions. 

To learn to use computers is a multi-layered challenge slowly unfolding itself in front of her. Simple words such as click, screen, folder, minimize, maximize, etc. are familiar to her only as sounds: she does not know the exact pronunciation, spellings or  meanings. This experience raised my curiosity about my septuagenarian friend and her relationship with the English  language.

My nani was born in 1941 officially. When asked when was she actually born she adds conspiratorially that she was actually born in 1942 but her well meaning teacher changed her year of birth on record, to let her start a year early with school; a practice not uncommon even today. 

My nani has had ten years of schooling in a school where the medium of instruction was Marathi. After school she went directly to her provisional training in midwifery. This training did not require any skills in the English language. Only the technical words were in English, she could write and express herself in Hindi or Marathi. So she never actually learnt to use English in college.

More importantly, she identifies, she never developed any literary skills in any language, never read any books to mention. She has never written anything other than forms for her work. Much earlier, in her childhood, she had written essays for language classes at school. The mantras for such essays are copy (from the black board or a book), learn-by-heart and write word-to-word.

I have a feeling I will write a lot more about this topic.