Mammi Ki Kahani (English Edition) — Memory Journal for Mother, 20 Guided Sittings, Blank Write-In

Mummy’s story is not printed in this book

This is the first thing to know, and the most important. This book is not for reading — it is for writing in. There is no story printed in it. We only give the questions. Everything else is blank, and Mummy fills it in her own hand.

Printed stories are everywhere. Hers is nowhere else.

One evening, one sitting

First, three short questions — five minutes, and the writing has begun. Then one big memory, across two facing pages. And at the end a small task that takes two minutes.

There are twenty sittings — from her childhood home to her blessings. The page number of every sitting is printed. Start wherever you like; there is no order.

She does not have to write it herself

She can tell it, and you write it down. Whoever holds the pen, the story is hers. The lines are 10 mm apart, for large handwriting, and two pages at the front guide the person who listens and writes.

One book, three generations

• You give it — with your name written on the first page: who gave this book.
• Mummy writes — one evening, one sitting. Whatever she remembers.
• The next generation reads — in her own handwriting, in her own words.

A few of the 160 questions

Each one asks for a story, not an opinion. None of them asks for a year or a date.

• What was your earliest home like? Which corner of it do you remember the most?
• A game you used to play that nobody plays now — how was it played?
• Pick any one festival — how did the house look that day, and how did it smell?
• The Sunday film on Doordarshan, or a radio programme — do you remember?
• How much were your first earnings — and in whose hands did you first place them?
• An important call made from a PCO or an STD booth — do you remember one?
• How were our names chosen? Who named us?
• What is your blessing for us?

Look inside

Real pages from the book, exactly as they are printed.

What is in it

20 sittings • 160 questions • 21 places to paste photos • My names • My homes • The line of my life • Prices in those days • a page for her handwriting, and one for the outline of her hand.

160 pages • B5, 176 × 250 mm • No dates — start in any year.

Who it is for

• A mother whose stories you have heard in pieces, never whole
• A birthday, an anniversary, Diwali — a gift she does something with
• A mother who lives far away: one sitting on every visit
• Grandchildren, who will one day ask where they came from

What it is not

• There is no story printed in it — nothing to read.
• No question asks for a year or a date. Remembering dates is an exam.
• There is no hurry. She writes what she remembers and leaves what she does not.

Questions people ask

Is anything already written in it?
No. Only the questions, a few labels and a few lines of guidance are printed. Every space for an answer is blank.

What if she does not like to write?
Then she tells it and someone else writes: a son, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a grandchild. The book has two pages for the person who listens.

Does she have to go in order?
No. Every sitting stands on its own. She can start anywhere and leave any question.

Does it ask for dates?
No question does. “When was this?” is answered with a tick mark, not a year.

Which language is this book in?
This edition is in English. The same book is also made in Hindi and in Gujarati.

Delivery

Delivery across India. Cash on delivery is available, and paying online costs less.

Please note — dispatch is about 4 to 6 weeks from your order.

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