Uncles and Aunties

 These, as per Indian tradition, need not actually be related to you. An Uncle is an elderly sort of person known to the family, and an Aunty, likewise.

We had several while growing up, and we sometimes watched them play Tennis, Badminton, or Bridge in the Club we were regularly going to. They were invariably nice to us kids, and we were lucky to learn something from the conversations or interactions we had. Some taught us Billiards, or let us watch while they played.

Some were socially connected, and I learnt of the existence of some Marathi detective/mystery novels due to one of them..it was an author called Baburao Arnalkar. Another Uncle was a music fan, and I first saw/heard a stereophonic sound at his place. 

The aunties were hospitable, and fed us non-stop whenever we visited. The kids and we played through our summer holidays, and went for long walks in heat that we cannot tolerate today.

Our real aunts (or Uncles who took us on long walks or to parks) were no less, and we visited them in holidays or at weddings or other events like birthdays. My point is that the multiple aunts/uncles played a part in bringing us up, and we learnt a lot due to them. Sleepovers were common too. As they say, it takes a village to bring up a child. 

In Memory of an Uncle

 He (my maternal Uncle or Mama) died a year ago, in Mumbai where he lived all his life. His flat, though small, was always welcoming to us nephews and nieces- we went there countless times for dinner, or for an overnight stay. When I applied for my student visa to the U.S. (those days, that was the done thing), I stayed with him and left early morning for the Consulate where I stood in line at 5 am, and got my visa.

He is in the pic on top, and with two of his sisters in the second. My Mom is with him at same level, and my youngest aunt (his sister again), standing.

He had got admitted into engineering college, but came back home, complaining that they didn't teach him anything new. In a manner of speaking, he was too smart for his own good. The lack of professional qualification meant that he had to settle for a clerical job, but he did not mind one bit. He was happy, he read a lot, and the credit for introducing Rex Stout to me, goes to him. I still enjoy Stout, and just bought a couple yesterday- they are hard to find, so I am happy.

He was a great conversationalist, always curious. He enjoyed his whisky, and we got offered one whenever we visited (I took the offer usually). His kids (my cousins) both did well, and are our gift to Joe Biden now. One of the many things he was famous for in the family was his love of trains. It is rumoured that he knew many Time-Tables by heart, and could recite station names in sequence too. For suburban trains and others.

Saying Goodbye

It is known that we will grace the earth for a limited span. That we have to watch people we know and love and respect go, is known to each one of us. That does not necessarily make the parting easy. Sometimes, there is relief, if the person was suffering from a painful malady. But a sadness is inevitable.

I spent my childhood in Hyderabad or thereabouts, and stayed in my aunt's place for a few months while I enrolled in Hyderabad Public School, before they got a hostel-this was a new branch. While there, and after, my Uncle was a great help, both as a role model, and in teaching me how to ride a Luna- the first mass-scale moped sold in India, made by Kinetic-much before the Honda collaboration. He was in good health, full of life, and enthusiastic about sports-cricket included. We met reasonably regularly, and discussed everything under the Sun. Luckily, I also met him around this time last year to celebrate his 85th birthday. Lost him recently, but the great memories will keep me company.

 Above- last year at his 85th, and Below- many years earlier, with my aunt next to him. I am with one of my kids here.