At 104 years Ratni Bai Chordia is deeply engaged with the world around her. Whether it is playing pallankuzhi for hours or reading the Hindi newspaper daily, the centenarian from Mylapore follows a steady routine.

Long-time residents of Mylapore remember Ratna Mahal, the two-storied vintage building, on Bazaar Road and the family that lived there until 2006. The house belonged to S Manicklal Chordia, a Gandhian, social worker, and member of the Indian National Congress. While Manicklal passed away in 2010, his wife, Ratni Bai, moved to Mylapore to live with one of her sons.

“Amma,” as she is fondly called by her family of 149 members spread across India, remains central to their lives.

Born in 1923, Ratni Bai’s family migrated to Bangalore during her early years. At 14, as a young bride, she moved to Madras. She delivered 16 children, of whom 13 survived. Today, her five surviving children cherish her deeply. “One of the best ways to spend time with Amma is to play board games with her,” says her seventh son, Chandraprakash Chordia.

“I was raised in a strict environment with no scope for recreational activities. After I married and moved to Chennai, I took on the responsibility of managing a large household, with a steady stream of guests and visitors. I had 13 children of my own to care for, so you can imagine what life was like in those days. Gradually, as my sons got married, I was able to share my responsibilities with them. After my husband passed away, I suddenly seemed to have all the time in the world, and I began to play board games,” says Ratni Bai.

A favourite pastime for the centenarian is playing chaupad (dice) or pallankuzhi (a traditional two-player board game from Tamil Nadu). Every day, she spends at least three hours playing, with unwavering focus and enthusiasm. Frail and wheel-chair bound, her spirited nature and love for simple joys keeps her cheerful.

“Playing chaupad and pallankuzhi was, in a sense, liberating for me. My sister-in-law (my husband’s sister) taught me these games. Today, this is my way of connecting with people around me and overcoming the grief of losing five of my children,” says Ratni Bai.

Ratna Mahal (with 35 rooms and a basement where valuables were stored during the war years) used to be a hub of activity. The house frequently hosted leaders from the Indian National Congress, with guests sometimes staying for weeks. The kitchen was always busy, with Ratni Bai preparing food for everyone.

“When the 70th session of the Indian National Congress was held in Avadi in January 1955, Jawaharlal Nehru and many other national leaders came to Chennai to participate. My mother who cooked North Indian meals for these leaders, would pack four tiffin carriers and send them to Avadi,” recalls Mahendar Chordia, her sixth son.

K Kamaraj (former Chief Minister of Tami Nadu) and R Venkatraman (former President of India) were close friends of Manicklal, and were frequent visitors to Ratna Mahal spending hours discussing politics. “Deepavali puja was a grand affair in our household, and my father would wait until Kamaraj came and only then perform the puja. This continued for over 15 years, until Kamaraj passed away,” Mahendar says.

Chandraprakash recalls how she managed large family events with precision. “In those days, Marwari weddings were a grand spectacle in the area. She organised all her daughters’ weddings at Ratna Mahal, where there would be Bharatanatyam performances. She would insist that only the Belgaum Band perform, as they were very popular then. The procession would take place in Plymouth or Chevrolet cars,” he says.

“Amma ran her household seamlessly, training the elder children to take care of their younger siblings. She travelled, attended weddings, and even spent summer vacations at her parents’ house, while her daughters managed the household,” says Pratiba Jain, her daughter-in-law. Ratni Bai was also known for her pickling skills. “Even today, she can cut up to six mangoes and make a variety of pickles. Just last week, she made a tasty oil-free mango pickle,” says Pratiba.

Her granddaughter, Manasvi, describes her as an inspiration to her generation — someone who lived life without compromise. “She was an independent woman, and her husband was a liberal person. She would wear traditional Rajasthani jewellery every day as long as my grandfather lived.”

“She never missed a single Hindi movie and had the habit of taking a bus to Thiruvallikeni with her cousins and friends to watch films at Star Talkies. When her friends recommended Tamil films, she would go to Kamadhenu or Kabali theatre. There have even been occasions where she went alone to Star Theatre to watch films,” says Manasvi.

Until five years ago, Ratni Bai continued going to theatres to watch films. Of late, she is happy watching movies on OTT platforms. “When we play a movie, Amma watches it continuously, while I myself doze off halfway through,” says Pratiba.

In 2023, the Chordia family celebrated Ratni Bai’s centenary, with 136 family members coming together. “Grandmom is like a magnet — she attracts people. She has adapted well to changing times. She no longer insists on women in the family wearing only saris, and has accepted ‘love’ marriages. She happily plays dice with my nine-year-old son,” says Manasvi.

Amma is someone who has seen the ups and downs, the good and bad phases of life, say her family members. They believe her memory remains sharp, reflected in her daily games of dice and pallankuzhi. “Not just that, she is a voracious reader. Every day, she reads a newspaper and various religious texts. She also discusses what she reads with us. She remembers the names of all her family members — 149 of them — even today,” says Pratiba.

At 104, it is perhaps these simple routines — reading, pickling, playing, and remembering — that continue to define amma’s enduring spirit.