Farewell to a dearie...

Just another random day in the lab, running simulations. And then I heard the news.


Memories... me and my sister to the circus... We used to make up funny names for relatives...He was a great, great story teller... Fond memories of detective stories "Shekar kadhai" where the entire kids pattalam would listen spell bound.... How he coined a whole invocation title song for his daily dose of detective stories....



He had a massive heart attack.....



I was about 10 years old. A rough time in the family where my mom was getting operated. He used to specially make "Nei sadham" for me and tell me stories and feed it.How we played cards - how we used to see the cards from his spectacle reflection... How he used to fall asleep reading the newspaper..



He was taken to the ICU...



"Ding dong" used to be our favorite drink. Whenever I visited him, his favorite pethi's arrival was an excuse for us to go and buy these. "Thumba poo veshti" - he loved washing is white dhothis to perfection."Speaking brinjals" and the way he used to cook them for us.



Ambulance...



Music - how he thought I was the best singer in the whole wide world. How I ve never refused to sing for him - ever. How we rehearse "mokshamu galadha" as he was on his "Salavai" sprees.How he tells us stories of him practicising music and the time he was offered a role in yesteryear cinema...how we used to discuss raagas... and concerts of yesteryears...



Relatives reaching from all over... He was 83...



How he wanted his grandkids to rub his back - with a clothes brush. How when I was a kid I used to sit on his back to relieve him of his back pain as he used to regale us with "railway" stories..... how he was sad to throw away his iron dumbells when he could barely lift a small basket....



The ceremony.. How is paati taking it ?



How he used to take us to the nearby pond to experience a whole new dimension to bathing.
... used to discuss cricket and tennis and even taught him the rules of F1. How he had to memorize our favorite teen idol for that season.. "Tendul" or "Sonu" u name it !



That framed photo that I promised to send.. Those letters from BITS I never wrote, those letters from the US I promised to write...



How he used to listen to the news on his old faithful radio - which paati knitted a sweater for.And how he joked that it got washed away in the rain once and came back to him magically.How his "bubble gum" dosai was a cult favorite in the household.How he tells the whole world that I am his pet grandkid. How he tells my friends about the day I was born , and how I am the apple of his eye... How I used to jump off his belly as a baby and squeal with laughter...




And suddenly simulations,graphs,family squabbles - everything seems utterly inconsequential. I cannot imagine coming home without sprinting the last 100 yards to hug you. A place without you seems too bleak to imagine. You will be sorely missed!!



Until about five hours ago - I had both set of grandparents to pamper me. Not anymore. Thatha - I know for a fact that you are in some place very happy, could you put in a word with God to take me there too?



- Your favorite "pet" grandkid who had the good fortune of having you in her life for 23 whole years.