Archive · 25 Aug 2026
A Kolkata Grandmother’s Whisky Ritual and Women’s Fierce Bonds
The narrator remembers living with her grandmother, Thima, in Kolkata.
Every evening, Thima carefully put on a beautiful sari.
The narrator helped adjust the sari so Thima would not trip.
Thima drank Scotch and ate snacks instead of praying like some other grandmothers.
She often talked about how beautiful and popular she had been when she was young.
She also teased the narrator about not being beautiful enough.
Bani, the household helper, complained about the whisky but still cared about Thima.
The two women argued frequently, but their arguments were part of their close relationship.
The narrator recalls helping her grandmother, Thima, dress in a sari each evening.
Thima, a widow with several ailments, drinks Scotch and eats snacks at half past six.
She describes her former beauty and the attention she received from young men.
Household help Bani criticizes Thima’s whisky while protecting her reputation from neighbors.
The narrator portrays Thima and Bani’s sharp arguments as affectionate, recurring exchanges.
- Who
- The narrator, her grandmother Thima, and Bani, their household help.
- What
- A fictional recollection of Thima’s evening dressing ritual, whisky drinking, and exchanges with Bani and the narrator.
- When
- Each evening around half past six; the narrator recalls being 13 or 14.
- Where
- A household in Kolkata, referred to in the excerpt as Calcutta.
- Why
- The ritual and conversations show the women’s personalities, conflicts, affection, and memories of Thima’s past.
- Genre
- Fiction
- Setting
- Kolkata, also referred to as Calcutta
- Central ritual
- Thima dresses in a sari and drinks Scotch each evening
- Narrator’s age
- Approximately 13 or 14 during the memories
- Thima’s health
- She is described as having spondylosis, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, and developing cataracts
- Household relationship
- Bani works as household help and has a combative but affectionate relationship with Thima
- Source
- Excerpted from And I Am the Arrow by Pia Ghosh-Roy