Lisa Stowe

My mom hired a writer to sit down with my 95-year-old grandmother in India and document stories from her life. They met weekly for two years. The process brought my grandmother immense joy—the result will bring my family joy for years to come. I think everyone should do this: My mom found the writer through an elderly care service in India. Her request was for someone who would record and transcribe stories from my grandmother. The writer was a recent university graduate named Raika Sengupta. The process began shortly after the pandemic lockdowns ended in India. Raika would visit with my grandmother every week. Depending on my grandmother’s energy, they would meet for an hour or less. Each time, they would pick up where they left off on her life journey. Raika would record the conversation and then transcribe the recordings—mostly in my grandmother’s own words, with some stylistic improvements where necessary. My grandmother is an AMAZING storyteller, so the writing naturally flowed. The weekly meeting became a beautiful ritual. During a time when there wasn’t much to look forward to because of COVID lockdowns and a diminished social life, my grandmother looked forward to these sessions. They made her feel important again—such a powerful thing at her age. Once the writing was complete, my mother—a beautiful writer herself—took the pen on editing and converting the stories into a book. She worked with my grandmother on the flow and filling in the gaps. They added chapters on special people in her life—siblings, friends, etc. We wanted to add photos to the book, so the whole family got involved. When I was in India in January, I got to sit with my mom, dad, and grandmother and go through old photos to include. We uncovered some real gems. It was beautiful. The book is almost complete. We will have enough copies made so that all of her family can have a copy to remember her by when she is gone. I really believe everyone should do this. One of the saddest things is seeing our grandparents feel they are no longer “important” to anyone. The process reminded my grandmother how much she is loved and how much she still has to offer the world. If you enjoyed this or learned something, follow me @SahilBloom for more in the future.