So,we all geared up for the visit and bought a box of sweets (it is a mark of respect that we don't go empty handed when we visit elders, we usually give them sweets or fruits). Thatha's daughter Prema Mami, lives pretty close-by and thats where you can find him on most days of the year.
Now...Thatha is the oldest man I have ever had the opportunity to talk to. And I am really blessed to have that chance! I don't know where to begin, when I think and want to write about Thatha. I can just feel a rush of emotions that pay tribute to a life so well living(I can't use the word lived here) and going steady still...
Thatha is the patriarch of a typical Iyengar family that lived next-door (before we moved out to our new home). Talking about our relationship with them, they are more like my own family. My brother and I spent most of our childhood with Prema Mami and her beans kaai ;) Thatha has a brilliant pale complexion and a wizened old face with a huge yellow and white Naamam, the very sight of which gives you knowledge of his experience in life, it reminds me of the great 'Gandalf the White' in Two Towers(The Lord of the Rings, Part II), the wizard with unfaltering courage, who endures so much, to help Frodo, the hero, with the ring.
I really don't know what Thatha's actual name is, because we all affectionately call him Thatha (Grandpa). I feel proud to address him simply that way, though I am not from his bloodline.
I first remember meeting Thatha when I was probably 12 or 13 years old. I had been on one of our routine visits to Prema Mami's and there he was, crouching in an old cane armchair and watching an India-Pakistan cricket match with avid enthusiasm...I can even remember seeing him cheer loudly and clap his hands in joy when some unfortunate Pak wicket fell!!! And though I was interested in cricket, I wasn't familiar enough to identify players while they walked or bowled and so, I just sat beside Thatha, constantly nagging him to tell me who was bowling or who was facing the ball! I still wonder how he could do that!! He was probably in his early nineties then. We also watched a lot of Wimbledon Live together on TV. And soon enough Thatha and I developed this friendship :) And he took a keen interest in my academic progress and when I stood first in school in my board exams, Thatha was one of the first persons whose blessings I sought.
Thatha is a very pious man who has a regular routine everyday. He never fails to do his pooja with his 'parimalam'(it is a sacred mix of elakkai(cardamom),kalpooram(edible camphor),tulasi(basil leaves) and many such ingredients in a fixed proportion) and ofcourse that's my favourite part - to get a spoonful of this theertham, everytime I go to their place :) It tastes awesome and is one of the few things that I won't ask for a second helping - because somethings are best tasted in small quantity and while you do that, you let it stay in your tongue and swirl it so that the taste just lingers on! So, I will never fail to get my rightful spoonful ;)
Thatha had this habit of WALKING to the Ramar Kovil(Temple) every morning, taking slow and short but steady strides, crossing some roads that were buzzing with office-going traffic, with his walking stick in hand. And each morning, my school van used to pick up some girls from that area near the temple and en route, I used to see thatha walking across. I called out to him once, least expecting him to hear me and recognize my far-off face peeping from the van window and lo! there he was laughing loudly and waving his free hand, keeping himself steady with his stick on the other!! And still, I wasn't convinced that he had recognized me, but on my next visit, there he was asking me about the school van and its route and why I hadn't waved on Friday last, whether I had bunked school - absolutely incredible! And from that first day, it became a mundane activity for me, to wave out to Thatha every morning - and on rare occasions, if I didn't see him, my van driver began to show concern!! Unforgettable schoolday memories :)
And I have to say this - Thatha is one of the very few persons I have met, who have a simply colossal memory. I don't know how they are able to remember events and people, beats me! When I told him of my job placement, he asked me if I knew the history of Wipro and how it all began one fine day when a man started door-to-door dalda sales. Hmmm...no adjectives to describe this...I could talk to Thatha about anything under the sun and there he was, digging his memory and narrating an incident that happened half a century ago (even my dad would probably have been only a zygote then!!). And he asked my father once, whether the new house was comfortable...The younger man was not unsure what that meant and seeing the uncertainty, Thatha said, "Don't you remember I had been to the Grihapravesham (house-warming ceremony) of your new first-floor house a few years back, I climbed all those steps to see the house", which left my dad spell-bound! And I should also admit to having a natural admiration for old people who speak good English, evidently due to holding high offices and needless to say, Thatha is no exception, he is the quintessential gentleman! Most of our conversations have been in English. Thatha's style is simple, precise and elegant!
And when I met him last weekend, he was at his exhuberant best, talking of Wipro and his distant relative's grandson who worked in the company in Bangalore and who incidentally had been his grand daughter's first proposal for a groom - he seemed to remember every detail with an uncanny accuracy. And to my brother, he asked about his sophomore year and how it was going (when someone asks me what my brother does, it takes a couple of seconds for my miniscule memory to process the fact that my brother is into his second year currently. Man, I feel very small). And to my cousin and his wife, who are newly weds, he asked what their 'plan' was, about starting a family..."Haha..Five year planning eh?! Like Jawaharlal Nehru!", he remarked with a guffaw, the corner of his eyes twinkling with mischief!! Kurumbu-kaara Thatha indeed ;)
When my mother called me on the phone, I was really overjoyed to hear that Thatha had achieved this huge milestone - his 100th birthday, it is inspiring! And am gladder still to have been able to pay my obeisance to him and get his blessings and ofcourse, a spoonful of his theertham :) On his birthday, 100 different kinds of sweets were prepared complete with the love and affection of all his dear and near ones, family friends and well-wishers. I could not attend the celebration but well, I could really picturize him, in the centre of them all, welling with pride, radiating joy and infecting everyone with his effervescent and good natured humour! It really humbles me.
Cheers to you dearest Thatha, I love you so much!
