U for Umeshwari

‘Umeshwari’ is the name of my paternal grandmother (Aita). I remember her as a simple, sweet and quiet old lady. We used to visit her during our holidays and since I was one of her favourites, I enjoyed her attention. As a child, I had a wheatish complexion, and she believed that I turned dark because my mother didn’t bathe me properly! The moment we arrived, she would sneak me away to the bathroom and scrubbed me with warm water and soap. She used to call me Putola (meaning doll). She used to make hand fans out of the paper covers of incense sticks. So when those fans were used, the cool air was scented. She passed away in her sleep when I was eleven years old. I wish she were around to see me grow up. I had spent a limited time with her but I really miss her very much; even after all these years.

Name: UMESHWARI

It’s a girl name.

Origin: Assamese

Meaning: Feminine form of UMESH which means Lord of Uma. Uma is another name of Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva (one of the primary Hindu gods). So UMESH means Lord Shiva. Hence UMESHWARI refers to Uma herself.

I am taking part in the Blogging From #AtoZChallenge [April 2015].