To Baba

Ever since I can remember, my grandfather has looked the same. He used to visit us very often. Baba. A short bald man, in starched white kurta and dhoti, and a big smile on his face. In winters, he would add a shawl to the ensemble. He would always insist on bathing with cold water at 5 in the morning, even on the coldest of winter days. He would also oil his head everyday, though he was almost completely bald. By the time we woke up, he would be sitting in the sun reading the hindi daily. Yes, my grandfather, for most part of his life, could not read in english. So the days he would come to stay with us, Dad would get the hindi newspaper as well. Till one day, he picked up the english daily and started reading it. At 70, the old man had secretly learnt a new language from the neighbour's kid! I was so proud of him. And that is what I liked about him the most. He was a progressive old man. I remember when I was off to Singapore on my own, all of 16 years, some of my uncles questioned my parents on the wisdom of their decision to let me go. But not him. Baba was always encouraging. He had never been outside India. So when I used to go back home for holidays, he would sit me down and listen attentively to all my stories about Singapore. He would ask questions. He wanted to know all of it! He would refuse to sleep in the afternoon, insisting that he is an active man and doesnt need to rest so much. So he would sit and read instead. Invariably, he would be snoring on the chair five minutes later. But I'll give him this, he was an active man. Till the age of 85, he was very mobile and very full of life. He was totally independent and would even brew his own tea every morning. Dadima wasnt woken up for it.

He fell down at home on 7th April. The same day my niece was born. On 12th, Baba passed away. Its as if to maintain the balance of life, a generation was added, and a generation was lost. Dad says, it was his time to go. Maybe. All I'm glad for is that he passed away a happy man, proud of his children and grandchildren and with no suffering. May he rest in peace.