Padma Lakshmi Mourns the Death of Her Grandmother Rajima: 'She Was My Rock and Example'

Padma Lakshmi Instagram

Padma Lakshmi is mourning the death of her grandmother Rajima.

On Sunday, Lakshmi, 51, announced that her beloved grandmother had died. "I am heartbroken. My dear paati is gone," the Top Chef host wrote on Instagram.

Posting a video featuring photos of Rajima, including shots in the kitchen and with Lakshmi, the celebrity chef continued, "Rajima lived life serving others. She raised us all. She was my rock and example. She was much more than a grandma, the only one I knew."

"I wouldn't have the career I have without her guidance. But more importantly, I would never be who I am without her love & care," she wrote in part.

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According to Lakshmi, Rajima "didn't just teach me about food, but about life, often through food. She was practical, humble, disciplined. She taught me to work hard and never, ever feel sorry for myself."

Explaining that her grandmother taught her everything from times tables to how to temper spices, Lakshmi said Rajima also taught her that "everyone has their boiling point."

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The Top Chef host also detailed some of Rajima's incredible achievements, including how she "started the first Montessori school in Tanjavur and was a teacher for 20 years in DTEA and MEA, Delhi." Rajima, according to Lakshmi, also worked in a hospital and set up at an orphanage, among other feats, "all while raising 4 kids, 6 grandkids, nieces, and younger siblings, too."

Lakshmi then told fans that her grandmother may look familiar, as she has been featured in her previous works before.

"You may recognize her from my cookbook cover, or in drawings from [my children's book] Tomatoes for Neela," she wrote.

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Acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic has defined the last two years as those of loss for so many people, Lakshmi said she's grateful that she got to spend as much time with her loved one as she did.

"I'm thankful for the privilege so many have not had. To say goodbye," she wrote. "Thanks to all those who helped me slip in and out of India against all odds before she passed. I've had a crazy, exhausting, devastating week. I'm grateful she waited. Just like she always did on our veranda when I arrived back from the US."

"I met her knowing eyes, held her hands, rubbed her feet. I thanked her for a lifetime of teaching. Her gift. I was able to bear witness as she'd always done," Lakshmi detailed her of grandmother's last moments. "She left us hours later. Elegant and patient with me to the last minute."

"I love you Jima, na poittu varren," Lakshmi concluded her poignant post.