Monday, April 09, 2012
The End Of An Era-Remembering Kaka
April 4, 2012
I will never forget his soft smile – half amused, half quizzing; and always acknowledging. No one was too small for him; he remained the very same Madhu kaka for all always!
His passing away on 7th of February did not come as a shock, but it brought to end an era for the Barve clan. Madhu kaka was the last of the Barves of his generation. And I was fortunate to have been part of the family; to have known him and Sumati kaki. Both school teachers to the core, they ‘carried the baton’ handed down by their elders, with conscientious devotion and honesty.
I remember my stay with them in Chiplun and Songaon. We were young and preoccupied with our careers and made a dash to visit the family deity whenever possible. And I recall the affection with which we were hosted!
Our friends were as welcome at Songaon – not an easy destination; all the more challenging those days. Both Kaka and Kaki single-handedly organized the annual Utsav. They were there well in advance to take care of the numerous tasks; starting from setting up the house and making it livable for all us city-people. While kaki was busy stocking up the kitchen for the numerous guests, kaka would get the ancient house in shape. Cleaning, repairing, the furniture, the lights, even the crumbling walls, and the cracking floors! All for our comfort! And they did it with so much love!
Kaka was a multi-faceted person; fluent in Persian, he regaled us with his Persian verses; and never gave up his love for painting which provided him much peace and sanity in his closing days.
Is it any surprise, the respect bestowed them both by the town whose kids’ lives they shaped and futures they molded!
Also their magnanimity in dealing with the folks of Songaon; helping with loans, lending patches of land for building huts! The villagers looked upto them with reverence and affection.
An ardent follower of the RSS, kaka lived by the principles of the Sangh. His life exemplified its teachings, undiluted and unwavering.
The daughters have imbibed the teachings of the parents and are ever soft-spoken, disciplined and always obedient.
As successors of such a fine legacy, it would befit us to carry on the noble traditions as well as we can! That would be our best tribute to them!
I will never forget his soft smile – half amused, half quizzing; and always acknowledging. No one was too small for him; he remained the very same Madhu kaka for all always!
His passing away on 7th of February did not come as a shock, but it brought to end an era for the Barve clan. Madhu kaka was the last of the Barves of his generation. And I was fortunate to have been part of the family; to have known him and Sumati kaki. Both school teachers to the core, they ‘carried the baton’ handed down by their elders, with conscientious devotion and honesty.
I remember my stay with them in Chiplun and Songaon. We were young and preoccupied with our careers and made a dash to visit the family deity whenever possible. And I recall the affection with which we were hosted!
Our friends were as welcome at Songaon – not an easy destination; all the more challenging those days. Both Kaka and Kaki single-handedly organized the annual Utsav. They were there well in advance to take care of the numerous tasks; starting from setting up the house and making it livable for all us city-people. While kaki was busy stocking up the kitchen for the numerous guests, kaka would get the ancient house in shape. Cleaning, repairing, the furniture, the lights, even the crumbling walls, and the cracking floors! All for our comfort! And they did it with so much love!
Kaka was a multi-faceted person; fluent in Persian, he regaled us with his Persian verses; and never gave up his love for painting which provided him much peace and sanity in his closing days.
Is it any surprise, the respect bestowed them both by the town whose kids’ lives they shaped and futures they molded!
Also their magnanimity in dealing with the folks of Songaon; helping with loans, lending patches of land for building huts! The villagers looked upto them with reverence and affection.
An ardent follower of the RSS, kaka lived by the principles of the Sangh. His life exemplified its teachings, undiluted and unwavering.
The daughters have imbibed the teachings of the parents and are ever soft-spoken, disciplined and always obedient.
As successors of such a fine legacy, it would befit us to carry on the noble traditions as well as we can! That would be our best tribute to them!
# posted by rdbelite @ 3:01 AM 
