Thursday, October 15, 2009
Simple Folks
Chitra atya passed away 9th October after a few months of struggle. Brought back memories of Papa! She always reminded me of papa.
Both the siblings were alike; slim and fairly tall, both were blessed with good health and a very pleasant and cheerful disposition.
They were simple folks coming from simple backgrounds. Life was not easy, even tough at times. But they held it by the horn and never let the smile fade! Atya’s laughter, as she spoke and laughed at the same time, still rings shrill.
Her slim frame grew frail with age but she remained strong willed. I remember the days when she lived alone in her Chappan Somwar house; she insisted on doing all the stuff herself; including cooking for us when we visited.
More recently, we were at Chiplun, preparing for the inauguration of the new Songaon temple. We were making modaks for the pooja. She found it difficult to sit down and asked for a stool. When nobody came up with one, she took a biggish patila (vessel) turned it upside down and plonked herself on it! Such was her spirit!
Much as papa’s. They were both of a kind. Everybody will remember papa’s ready wit. He was always punning with words; he came up with a double meaning for every word! And who didn’t laugh at his PJs! He entertained everyone from age 4 to 104!
Always kept himself busy; tinkering around the house – hammering a nail here, tightening a screw there! But tailoring bags of various shapes and sizes was his specialty. All of us were presented with one! These were his favourite ‘time pass’ activities. Of course he kept his Music Circle alive until the very end - singing at various functions in Chiplun.
He was the only one who called me ‘Rekhu’. This endearment was reserved for special occasions; like the Ganapati festival, when I wore a sari and a big bindi!
Even when the end came, he was at peace with himself, a contented man of 84 years, and accepted death with a smile.
Ranga kaka was not so lucky. He was the first to go and quite young too! But as long as he lived he was a live wire; there was never a dull moment when he was around. A school teacher with a joie de vivre! He was always regaling the kids with his tricks and jokes. Looks like the entire family had the funny bone!
And the special language he used to communicate with Shobhana kaki was truly funny - he used to whistle a tune and she knew exactly what he was saying!
Shobhana kaki was the much misunderstood and much maligned bahu. But, with Dilip and me, there was some connect! She was straight forward in her dealings and blunt in her expression! And I always admired her for standing up to her beliefs and principles. While the world was tending to grey, she knew only black and white. “I may break, but I shall not bend” was her attitude.
She lived alone in Palghar with helpful neighbours for a number of years. But once her health started failing, she told Dilip that she wanted to move to Chiplun. Why should I depend on strangers when I have family, she stated matter of factly. Then again, she told Dilip, ‘I want you to have my flat in Barve Niwas.’ Dilip tried to explain that she should give it to someone who doesn’t have a place. ‘It is my flat and I will decide who should have it’, she said with finality. There was no further discussion.
Banda kaka, I have hazy memories of. I had once stayed over at the Kales spacious military quarters at Mazgaon. The first time I had lived in a proper flat. I was in school then, but I remember Banda kaka as the typical Military Man. His voice loud and harsh and no-nonsense attitude, again a first for me.
The business of living takes its toll; but such is the tenacity of these people – hidden deep within – you can perceive their greatness only when you look inside their soul. Their life is the story of the Spirit of the Common Man! They have made a special place in our hearts and will reside there forever!
Both the siblings were alike; slim and fairly tall, both were blessed with good health and a very pleasant and cheerful disposition.
They were simple folks coming from simple backgrounds. Life was not easy, even tough at times. But they held it by the horn and never let the smile fade! Atya’s laughter, as she spoke and laughed at the same time, still rings shrill.
Her slim frame grew frail with age but she remained strong willed. I remember the days when she lived alone in her Chappan Somwar house; she insisted on doing all the stuff herself; including cooking for us when we visited.
More recently, we were at Chiplun, preparing for the inauguration of the new Songaon temple. We were making modaks for the pooja. She found it difficult to sit down and asked for a stool. When nobody came up with one, she took a biggish patila (vessel) turned it upside down and plonked herself on it! Such was her spirit!
Much as papa’s. They were both of a kind. Everybody will remember papa’s ready wit. He was always punning with words; he came up with a double meaning for every word! And who didn’t laugh at his PJs! He entertained everyone from age 4 to 104!
Always kept himself busy; tinkering around the house – hammering a nail here, tightening a screw there! But tailoring bags of various shapes and sizes was his specialty. All of us were presented with one! These were his favourite ‘time pass’ activities. Of course he kept his Music Circle alive until the very end - singing at various functions in Chiplun.
He was the only one who called me ‘Rekhu’. This endearment was reserved for special occasions; like the Ganapati festival, when I wore a sari and a big bindi!
Even when the end came, he was at peace with himself, a contented man of 84 years, and accepted death with a smile.
Ranga kaka was not so lucky. He was the first to go and quite young too! But as long as he lived he was a live wire; there was never a dull moment when he was around. A school teacher with a joie de vivre! He was always regaling the kids with his tricks and jokes. Looks like the entire family had the funny bone!
And the special language he used to communicate with Shobhana kaki was truly funny - he used to whistle a tune and she knew exactly what he was saying!
Shobhana kaki was the much misunderstood and much maligned bahu. But, with Dilip and me, there was some connect! She was straight forward in her dealings and blunt in her expression! And I always admired her for standing up to her beliefs and principles. While the world was tending to grey, she knew only black and white. “I may break, but I shall not bend” was her attitude.
She lived alone in Palghar with helpful neighbours for a number of years. But once her health started failing, she told Dilip that she wanted to move to Chiplun. Why should I depend on strangers when I have family, she stated matter of factly. Then again, she told Dilip, ‘I want you to have my flat in Barve Niwas.’ Dilip tried to explain that she should give it to someone who doesn’t have a place. ‘It is my flat and I will decide who should have it’, she said with finality. There was no further discussion.
Banda kaka, I have hazy memories of. I had once stayed over at the Kales spacious military quarters at Mazgaon. The first time I had lived in a proper flat. I was in school then, but I remember Banda kaka as the typical Military Man. His voice loud and harsh and no-nonsense attitude, again a first for me.
The business of living takes its toll; but such is the tenacity of these people – hidden deep within – you can perceive their greatness only when you look inside their soul. Their life is the story of the Spirit of the Common Man! They have made a special place in our hearts and will reside there forever!
# posted by rdbelite @ 11:48 PM
