He was the second son in a family of 4 brothers and two sisters. (My father was the eldest. )He had a tremendous life force, lots of positive energy and a tremendous sense of humour. My earliest memories of him, when I must have been 3 years old, are of a big man with a big laugh who came home at irregular hours. Whenever he ate at home, he ate with me in his lap. I really looked forward to it . He had a huge friend circle comprising interesting characters from various fields. Three violinists, one of whom later became his brother in law, two Tabla players, some singers, one carrom expert, one jeweller, one tailor and several other equally interesting characters. He had a direct entry into the kitchen of the who's who of the maharashtrian families of Jabalpur. Friendship was his only addiction. He excelled in keeping accounts. He was selflessly working with many voluntary organisations of Jabalpur like Sangeet Samaj, Brihan Maharashtra Society, Sutika Griha etc often without any formal title and almost always without any remuneration.
He also ran a voluntary informal funeral service along with some friends. Whenever anyone, specially among the maharashtrian families of Jabalpur, died, he would take care of all the necessary arrangements for the last rites. I have not seen anyone who was always there for everyone who was in need of any help, without any expectation in return.
He took long leave to take care of his brother-in-law and a few other close friends, when they were suffering from serious ailments. In addition to his own parents, he also took care of his ailing mother-in-law like a son.
He was also a match maker par excellence. I know atleast a dozen families including of course me, my cousin Parag and Balkaka's two brothers-in-law where he played cupid/match maker.
He was a devoted music lover who could play Tabla and flute without any formal training. He was always associated with Sangeet Samaj Jabalpur and was instrumental in my love for music. He took lots of pride in achievements of others. His constant proximity to music virtuosi and Raju's early prodigious talent made him dream big about Raju's future in the music field and Raju has gone on to achieve far greater heights beyond his imagination. He was very happy and proud about it. His younger son Sanju, a yoga expert, has inherited all his humane traits. Sanju took care of him in his twilight years with a lot of affection and patience. A modern day Shravan Kumar indeed. Balkaka left behind our Kaku who was a perfect foil to him in all his endeavours and added her own share of beauty and grace to all his efforts. (Another blog post will have to be written to describe her influence in my life). His daughter Madhuri is a perfect blend of all the best qualities of both of them. I am lucky to have been a part of such a wonderful family.
He retained his sense of humour and zest for life till the end even when his memory was fading and his body was ravaged by old age. I am sure God would be very happy to receive such a great soul in his heaven.
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