MA ... 4 ... TUNUKAKI ... SAMMILAN SAMAJ READING ... 27 JAN, 2019

MA ... 4 ... TUNUKAKI ... SAMMILAN SAMAJ READING ... 27 JAN, 2019

Shreecharaneshu Kaki,

Behind the shadowy veil, through the misty looking glass I will always spy You within my lifetime of memories - twinkling glitters I want to reach and touch as they sparkle just a bit beyond, serenely, eternally.

I spy on those young days in Jamshedpur, of Kaka and You holding on steady and strong and Bapi who decided to deceive, slipping out of our fragile grasps. I see the enormous determination and resolve that both of You spread, touching all around you, showing repeatedly that even when You are down, You are never out.

And I spy on my college years in Kolkata, when both of You were the rocks keeping me afloat in turbulent waters. Somehow from then on, Kolkata became You and Your house was Kolkata.

Somewhere also, merged in the unraveling of time, and as marriages and farewells, celebrations and mournings swirled by, You evolved from a figure of authority to a mentor and then to a confidant who understood me more than most others.

As we swam against the currents and struggled in the clutches of our respective worlds, I believe our frequent and not so frequent meetings brought us comfort and closeness, more like adda partners.

All this seeped through to Lakshmi who chose to elevate you to the top of her favourite list. She admits unabashedly that Your authentic forthrightness, Your calm intelligence, Your candid insight, and above all, Your magical vivaciousness made You her Icon to emulate. And the few months when Bonny stayed with You and Your visits to Delhi are indelibly imprinted on him and I know that Bonny quietly accepts his Thamma as his own.

In later years You confided in me the trials and tribulations in Your life, though never as complaints or apologies but always as predicaments to overcome. The fighter in You faced both the joys and hurt in your four score years on this earth with passion and equinamity, with balance and acceptance and without any regrets.

This is how I will always spy You as I peep through the misty looking glass behind the shadowy veil.

You may have lost a battle, but surely You have won the war, everforever.

May Kaka and You Bless Abir and Titli, Laltu and Bulbul, Pinku and Montu, and all of us Always.

Pronam,

Babu

Written by Abhijit Bose