I wish I realized how special this photograph would be one day when I would barely be able to recall these moments. The disinterest that clearly shows on being handed over a coconut to beat the heat, wouldn't have been there to say the least. But I couldn't care less about it. The soul of this picture is our 'Grand dad' or Dadubhai that we fondly called him, with whom we share this moment.
I have been fortunate to have grown up being loved and pampered unconditionally by so many in my family, but none so special as my 'Dadubhai'. While everyone around would keep mum at the sound of the authoritarian voice, I, without any care in the world would climb up on his lap and listen quietly all that he had to say. I never had a doubt how much he loved me. That's probably the reason why, one day when he handed all his young grand children a note asking whom he loved the most, I confidently wrote my name and not surprisingly won a prize for that! It was was an achievement that I couldn't stop talking or thinking about it for a few days.
The concept of pocket money didn't exist during my time or rather I wasn't introduced to it, fortunately. On certain occasions when I did get it from my grand dad, I felt so profoundly rich that I never feel till day when my salary gets credited every month. His love for food was undeniable. He loved everything that was fresh and probably that led him to converting the garden into some kind of a farm where he planted all the vegetables. He would proudly take me around almost every other day and show me every vegetable that grew. I would head back home to my mom with a bunch of veggies in my arms with Dadubhai's order to make them for lunch.
A well read and well traveled man that he was, he loved to know what was changing around him - be it the Oil crisis in Middle East or the era of Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing. Before I got into my first job, he made me sit one day and asked me questions about what did I understand by IT. IT wasn't something I aspired of getting into and it didn't surprise me that I answered his questions quite poorly. But what really surprised me is how much he knew about it at his age.
It's been 6 years since this day, that our Dadubhai he is no more. The day before he peacefully left, he called me asking how I was. I hadn't been keeping well. Little did I know it was the last I would hear from him... Even though he is long gone, he lives is a me and no matter how old I get, I can never outgrow him. He always told me and my brother to take care of everyone around. While I could never do what he did for everyone, on this day, I wish well for everyone he cared about and even for the ones he didn't.
Be happy and at peace wherever you may be, Dadubhai.
