In a world where advice is only a click away, Anushka Singh believes many of us are overlooking one of life's most valuable sources of wisdom: our grandparents.
Speaking on Vision Australia Radio, Singh shared the profound impact her late grandfather, Mr. Rawail Singh Sethi, had on her life and the lessons he passed on that continue to shape her today.
"We lean so much towards self-help books, audiobooks and biographies," she says. "But we really tend to forget the wisdom sitting in our living room. Our grandparents have so much wisdom to share and so many things that can help us carve our lives."
For Anushka, those lessons were learned through years of quality time spent with her grandparents. During school and university holidays, she would spend weeks at a time with them, enjoying simple activities such as morning tea, taking walks and sharing conversations.
While these moments may seem ordinary, she describes them as some of the most influential experiences of her life.
Her grandfather's values centred on kindness, community service and giving back to others. He taught her that if people are fortunate enough to enjoy success or abundance, they have a responsibility to help those around them.
"If we are blessed with abundance, we should be sharing it with the community," Anushka says. "It shouldn't be an option. It should be a moral obligation."
She credits her grandparents, along with her parents, for helping build the foundation that enabled her to achieve major life milestones, including purchasing her first home at the age of 24.
Beyond practical achievements, Anushka says her grandfather's example taught her the importance of humility, gratitude and respect for others. One lesson that particularly stayed with her was the mutual respect he shared with her grandmother throughout their marriage.
Whenever people asked about his success, he would point to his wife and insist she was the reason for it. In turn, she would credit his hard work. Together, they built a legacy founded on partnership and shared values.
"It's something I've always admired," Anushka says. "The amount of respect they had for one another was beautiful."
For Anushka, spending time with grandparents is not simply about family tradition. It is about preserving stories, learning from lived experience and strengthening connections between generations.
"Our grandparents are living history," she says. "Monuments, travel and everything else will always be around the corner. But your grandparents are not."
Now six years after her grandfather's passing, Anushka says she has few regrets because she made a conscious effort to spend time with him while she could. Today, she continues that commitment with her grandmother, Mrs Nirmal Sethi, making regular phone calls and maintaining a close relationship.
Sometimes, she says, older family members may be hesitant to share their stories or may feel they are imposing. That is why younger generations need to take the initiative.
"We need to make sure they feel comfortable, heard and respected," she says. "We allow our friends and family to call us whenever they need us, and we should do the same for our grandparents."
Inspired by her grandfather's legacy, Anushka hopes to one day write a book about his life and the influence grandparents can have on future generations.
For now, however, she hopes people will simply make time for the older loved ones in their lives.
As the interview drew to a close, she left listeners with a message that was both simple and powerful.
"Travel plans can wait. Everything can wait," she says. "I would really encourage people to pick up the phone, visit their grandparents whenever they can and not wait for another tomorrow. Just make it happen today."
It is a reminder that while opportunities may come and go, time spent with the people who helped shape our lives is something we can never get back.
Anushka is Vision Australia Donor Relationship Coordinator, in the Individual Giving team and Vision Australia Radio’s Hear Me See Me Speak My Language Podcast Lead.
