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 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment