Remembering Dada

Today is Dada's Hundredth birthday - We lost him almost half a century ago. His passing away suddenly after a brief illness was a tragedy which shook all of us. It is strange but true that such a startling event never got talked about by any of us earlier. I do not remember discussing him or our life with him except for once. On my first birthday after his demise I wrote to Bhai Saheb in Calcutta that I expected Dada to walk in from the door carrying a volume of Readers Digest Condensed Book which he presented to us on our birthdays with unfailing regularity. Bhai Saheb wrote back saying that he too kept waiting for the telephone to ring on his birthday a month earlier. On the first anniversary of his death 17-01-68 we sat absolutely quiet not doing anything. Attempts of Bhuaji and others in Daryaganj to cheer us failed. Was our inner sense not accepting the unpleasant fact of his demise or was it due to the desire to protect our younger brothers and to leave the incident behind and get on with the challenges of life that were awaiting them and us.

I feel that our response to his death was scripted by his handling of Mummy's passing away at the young age of 39. He was shattered but never talked about her for seven and a half years that he survived her except for two occasions, that too when provoked by others. Once when Anand uncle, one of his unabashed admirers and who would invariably come for 'Drinks and Dinner'on new years eve and bring 'Phatake' for us every Diwali, commented that Dada was surrounded by pretty girls when he was a Professor of Mathematics in Girls College Lahore. Dada nodded and said "but my wife was the prettiest of them all". On another occasion we were invited to his colleagues house.  His wife, Professor in Economics and a junior colleague of Dr. VKRV Rao (Vice Chancellor of Delhi University) asked as to why he did not keep a photograph of Mummy in the house. This question was in context of Dr. Rao displaying a massive portrait of his deceased wife Promila at the entrance of his house (Dr. Rao later married Ms. Achaya of Miranda House). Dada's pleasant but curt reply was "we cannot afford to see her so often". Perhaps at the back of his mind was that his young sons should leave the mishap behind and get on with their lives.

Dada was a keen sportsman, full of fun and a tremendous zest for life. At Holi, family weddings and other functions he kept everyone enthralled. He would play a competitive hockey match and then go on to a tennis court for two singles sets. He once played a hockey match with Hockey Wizard Dhyanchand as one of the players.

In Agartala, at a sports event for Government officials, at the age of 44 he came second in a 100 meters race, beating the likes of Mr. Omesh Narain (Indira Andley's husband) aged 26 years and Sardar Dada (his cousin) aged 30 years. The person who came first was a Physical Instructor almost a decade and a half younger than him.

It was quite frustrating to see such a physically fit and strong person become a Diabetic within a few years after Mummy's death. 

Dada was also a dare devil with a great presence of mind to handle any tricky situation. One incident that Sardar Tauji used to to tell us with a twinkle in his eye comes to my mind. In the early thirties cycles were the main source of local transportation. Since roads were poorly lighted and traffic was beginning to pile up it was mandatory  for cyclists to use flash lights on the handlebars at night. Once a cyclist was coming from Chandni Chowk and taking a right turn on the Red Fort road leading to Darya Ganj. A policeman who was on duty at the crossing waved the young cyclist to stop as the cycle was without any flash light and it had become dark. The cyclist instead of stopping, started pedalling furiously. The policeman ran after him and managed to catch the rear of the cycle with his right hand. Either by accident or by design the rear tyre did not have a protective guard. The policeman felt a sharp pain as his fingers touched the rear tyre of the cycle. He withdrew his hand with a jerk. Recovering from the shock after a few moments he threw his cane (approximately 2 foot baton that policemen used to carry in those days) at the cyclist who had moved some distance away in the meantime. The young cyclist ducked and stopped his cycle. He picked up the cane and sped away. Sardar Tauji was watching the incident from a distance with his friends. They all laughed at the predicament of the policeman. At dinner later in the evening Sardar Tauji narrated the incident to the younger team of brothers and cousins. They all laughed. Dada who was also part of the group quietly went out and came back. He produced a cane and asked Saradar Tauji if this was the same cane that the policeman threw. Sardar Tauji exclaimed in admiration - "Arrey badmash - it was you?" 

This was the spirit Dada tried to inculcate in us. He made Bhai Saheb and me travel alone at the age of 14+ from Agartala to Delhi (Air travel to Kolkatata and then by train to Delhi). His motto - Study, work hard, play games and enjoy. I wonder how much all of us have lived by the guiding principles he set for us. 

It in the fitness of things that today on his hundredth birthday we come out of our reticence and express how much we have missed him and how he has all these years inspired us and how he continues to inspire us.

Sunil