Beloved Ajja (Grandfather)

During this taxing schedule of projects, presentations and assignments, one day I just kept them aside and started to introspect...sitting beside my window and I could hear nothing, but silence which was so calm and comforting. That was the time, AJJA, I remembered nothing, but you. Its not that I don’t miss you. You are always there when I’m talking to my friends; when I reminisce about the good ol’ days spent in Keshwapur, you even come in my dreams, but I have never got a chance to write about you. Choti-Choti baatein ya harketein aapki yaad dilati hai. The way you used to get irritated with the little girl in the parachute advertisement and imitate her. I can still laugh uncontrollably on it .The way you used to cheat while playing cards or carrom and your obstinacy ,now I know why am I like that, because its in my BLOOD! I always feel you are following me, you are my “Guiding Light”. Whenever I commit mistakes, you are there to make me realize them. Whenever I am elated, you are there with me to rejoice it. In my happy moments and sad moments, YOU are there always! I can go back to the time when I was a toddler and was your naughtiest grandchild, had the most number of punishments and beatings from you amongst all. The punishments which you used to give, utterly embarrassing. Till date,I feel embarrassed about them. Your enthusiasm about anything and everything made me even more enthusiastic.Remember, "the mirchi bhaji", you used to bring and we would all have it during dinner, it would make them tastier just because of your enthusiasm.Our picnics to Dharwad or all the wonderful places in and around Hubli,the tidbits we used to take with us, which Amma used to prepare. How can I possibly forget your fiat car which is still there and makes us realize time and again, that you are somewhere around us! I become NOSTALGIC, when I take a trip down the memory lane, there’s this “Keshwapur air” around me. Our small bungalow which is nothing but in shambles now. I can vividly Amma’s garden, the time we used to play there, plant saplings, chit-chat. I remember my daily chores, when I used to come there for my summer vacations. Wake up in the morning at 5 with you, when the sun had still not risen, have a cup of tea, go for a walk with you in the golf course,come back home, irritate Yasho,have lunch, play and in the evening go to Yasho’s place in Deshpande Nagar,come back home, have dinner and sleep!I remember how you used to act stubborn and snatch the remote from us and watch a shitty movie and make us bare the torture too. How I used to feel proud because of your vatt in the entire Hubli city, people saying, "oh! Mr.Vinekar" and I would go in my mind,"yeah..! He’s my AJJA!" In spite of that, you still had your feet on the ground, head on your shoulders. Even at the age of 78, you still held your head up high, independent and would always help the ones' in need. Thinking of such things, keeps me going. How can I possibly forget the dilkhush and pastries, you would bring for us from the Iyengar Bakery!  How can I forget those arguments, we used to have about absolutely nothing. No one argues with me like that now. That makes our ARGUMENTS even more SPECIAL, right?          Life was so uncomplicated then. No crushes, no heartbreaks, no worries, no tight schedules. Biggest fear would be the day of my results, but things would come back to normal within two-three days! Then, enjoying those first rains in Keshwapur with you, simply fascinating and excites me even now! Remember you used to always joke with me saying,"Devyani, I’m not going to be around you all your life" and I would go,"Ajja, can we not talk about such things!", but that’s a fact and I had to accept it. I MISS THAT ALL. Those innumerable happy moments spent with you in Keshwapur, in thane or god knows where! People generally say, “To make new memories, you have to forget the old ones”, but these are some of those memories which are like photographs etched in the scrapbook of my heart and I can never let them go! Sometimes I feel I had everything, now I feel I have nothing. Neither you nor the Keshwapur house. It’s like sand slipping out of my hand. Sometimes I feel, how I wish I could freeze all those moments. Rewind it and play it, rewind and play, until you get sick of it! But I guess,That’s, LIFE and it moves on.........         

This is it, what I call….LEGEN…Wait for it.…DARY, LEGENDARY! ..This one’s for you, Ajja, a long, pending one!