BEHIND THAT GENTLEST VENEER
"It’s
not the mountain we conquer,
it’s
ourselves.”
Edmund
Hillary
On
May 27, this year, my cousin Oscar and his wife Mavis completed twenty-five
years of their marriage. They had plans to celebrate the event in a grand way.
But, due to lockdown, they had to forego all the band-baaja. A couple
of days before the big day, Danika, their college-going daughter, sent to me a friend-request on FB. As soon as I accepted it, I saw this message in the inbox:
“Hello Gerry
Uncle, my dad and mom will be completing twenty-five years of their marriage on 27th May. I and Dane (her brother) will be compiling a video of our
parents' close friends and relatives sharing their fondest memories about dad
and mom. Can you, too, share yours? We want to give them a surprise… Please
keep it as a secret.”
Well, Oscar is
my dad’s younger sister’s son. I had a lot to say about this fine gentleman and
his gracious wife. So, I decided to do it through the way best known to me – a Blog. On 27th May night, when the family met for a private celebration at
home, young Danika and Dane played the video, which they had quietly put
together and gave some goose bumps to their parents. And, then, Danika read out
my Blog to them as an icing on the silver-wedding cake!
The next day morning,
I received a call… Oscar and Mavis wanted to thank me for the kind words I had
used in my Blog.
Danika, my young
niece, was, finally, able to take a long sigh of relief… Nobody had spilled the beans
and spoiled the fun!
From my end, I
envied Oscar and Mavis and wished I had a young daughter, too!
Some twelve
years ago, when I was turning 50, it quietly passed. Whoever coined the
phrase ‘Boys will be boys’ must’ve had a first-hand experience. Our only son,
who was 16 at that time, was not as excited as Danika. So, no surprise waited
for me when I hit the half-century… It was just another b’day at home!
By the way, why
am I talking about all these, today?
Exactly
a week ago, I saw a message from an unknown number:
“Hello Gerry
Sir, this is Navya, Anand Sreedhar’s daughter. I am compiling b’day wishes as my
Dad will be competing 50 on the 9th of this month. Could you please
send to me what’s your fondest memory about him?”
I was thrilled!
But, I envied Anand and Aruna (his wife), and, yes, once again, wished I had a
young daughter like Navya!”
I hadn’t met
Navya any time before. But, in my every conversation with Anand, the names of Navya and her
bother Nirvan would, invariably, pop up. Incidentally, she, too, is 16,
the way my son was when I turned 50. But, girls being girls, the likes of
Danika and Navya alone seem to be inclined and capable to execute a coup like this, with
such finesse...
While our boys
will remain boys: chilled! Nirvan, are you listening beta?
Well, coming to
my fondest memory about Anand… I checked with Navya if she was expecting a long
one or a short one. “I wish to write a Blog about, say, two pages,” I said.
“Two Pages! Sir,
that’s too long,” Navya almost fainted, “There
will be many messages.”
“Okay beta,
I’ll handle the Blog separately,” I calmed down Navya, “My short message will
reach you in a while.” This was what I sent:
“Anand came to
me when he was a T.Y. B. Com student… He was 20. I was supposed to teach him
the Accountancy subject. He has been
very kind in saying, that he ‘hated’ the subject, but ‘loved’ the teacher!
Anand and I
remained wonderful friends and each other’s well-wishers for thirty long years.
To say, that he is one of the gentlest souls on earth is an understatement. God
doesn’t make multiple such pieces… Aruna, Navya and Nirvan… you guys know it
better than any of us do!
What I remember
the most about Anand are:
His restless
desire to ‘express’ before others and feel good about himself. I think, his
drive comes from this innate need. So, eventually, he landed in life where he
wanted to.
Anand’s
inspiration comes from the underdogs. As a 20-year-old, once at the Dawn Club, he
was speaking on the topic ‘My Heroes’. He chose two: a boot-polish boy at the
Govandi railway-platform, and Rick Allen, the famous one-armed drummer of the
cult rock-band, ‘Def Leppard’.
The significance
of Rick Allen’s story sank into me much later… How, at the dizzy peak of his
fame, he lost his left arm in a deadly car-accident… How he rose from the ashes
to become an inspiring icon… How he created those amazing paintings with just
one hand and funded his charity and so on. He could make his remarkable comeback only because of the unshakable love and faith shown by his family and
band members... They all waited for him to make a comeback!
Rick Allen’s
miraculous story came to manifest in Anand’s own life, when he had plunged into
the darkest phase of his life… Yes, his wife, brothers, parents, grandparents, friends and well-wishers – we all – waited with our love and faith for him to make a comeback. God was kind… Anand came out of the dark tunnel, as a refined soul!
Yes, these are my memories about my student, friend and the 'rock-star' – Anand. Great 50 years Anand… Well-fought… Well-lived. It’s time to look up to Heavens and shout, ‘Thank you’… ‘Thank you’!
Yes, these are my memories about my student, friend and the 'rock-star' – Anand. Great 50 years Anand… Well-fought… Well-lived. It’s time to look up to Heavens and shout, ‘Thank you’… ‘Thank you’!
(From the archives: Aruna, Nirvan, Navya and Anand at a family vacation)
Bob Marley once
said, “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only
choice.” This is so true about Anand… Behind that gentlest veneer is hidden the
strongest resolve of this gentleman…
A standing ovation!
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pics.: 1 & 2 pixabay 3 Anand & Aruna
Video: HLN
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