The one who knew how to Live

She was a sensitive little girl. Very bright and affectionate. Cute is the word most people used to describe her.  She was around 5 and she lisped. She would say ‘h’ for ‘kh’ sound. In her own caring way she would call - ‘’hana hane chalo” for “khana khane chalo” (Come to eat). Everyone would laugh.  I don’t remember noticing her annoyance at people laughing at her lisping.. ever. Well I was 9 then. Then someone told her that eating chillies will make her lisping go away. She started eating chillies, and she started loving them.  I never realised she wanted her lisping to really go away.  I actually just found it really cute, and secretly wished that I lisped as well.  Anyway the lisping got better.  She was still cute and affectionate. nothing changed there.

She was also very bright. She learnt stuff much quicker than me. I was always very hard working. She just seemed to learn effortlessly. She was never seen studying, I was always studying. She always did well in her class. I did well too, but after putting in so much hard work. She said she didn’t like working hard.  She didn’t have to.  She could mostly learn things easily.  She liked small things stickers, dolls, art and craft. As we were growing up, I was always busy with whatever I was doing. I was the one who was focused, in studies, career etc. She found joy in small things.  She had a great music collection. I would just borrow from her collection  A L L  T H E  T I M E .

I was living in a hostel for my engineering studies.  I would borrow her stuff and take them to hostel with me.  She won’t let me do that easily, (although she secretly liked me appreciating her choices). She would say - Poora nawabganj utha ke le jao tum.  (take the whole neighbourhood with you).  

Once, I decided to get a puppy. Mother didn’t really want one. She said - I need to raise these two puppies first. I don’t need another one.  i kept saying please till she agreed - please please please please.. plea ea.. ea..ea ease!

Alright then, you will have to take care of it… 

Of course..

So I got a puppy. Named him Bruno. He was adorable. Loved to jump around.  He thought he was a human.  Didn’t want to be treated any less!  (of course, it was always my mother and Deepti, who took care of him.)

Deepti would talk to him.. very softly..

You know you are very spoilt.  You don’t eat till I feed you with my hands. I am not going to feed you anymore. I won’t even give you any food.

Grrrrrrr… Bruno would say, softly

Hmm so now you are growling at me.. you think you can scare me, you don’t even have any teeth. (He did have teeth by the way!)

Bruno would make a helpless sound and run away from her and hide under the dining table.

I would laugh - You are so boring, even Bruno doesn’t want to talk to you..

She would run after him - come out you.. come out… and then she would just laugh.

She was very very funny.  And very original in her sense of humour. I have numerous incidents.  She made me laugh when I was least expecting to find stuff funny.  She also always sympathised with me.  In my difficult times, she won’t say very much, but I could tell she didn't like seeing me unhappy.

And this is what she told me in the last moments of her consciousness when she was dying.  She said - “Tum hame bahut achchi lagti ho.  Tum khush raho.”  (I like you very much. You stay happy).

She lived her life well, especially the 8 years that she spent in the US. She loved working and staying there.  Her friends and colleagues loved her.  She had multiple talents. Her flat was full of stylish electronics / jewellery / clothes. Very stylishly arranged. She had a great taste and she kept her surroundings pleasant.  Other than being stylish she was also a very good human being.  She was always willing to help, and always buying presents for people. We even joked - Giving presents is her hobby.  She loved to cook. She cooked for anyone and everyone.  People loved her cooking.  I am yet to find someone who would tell me that she didn’t care or that she wasn’t nice.  

I wish she could read this.  I wish I had written this earlier.  I never really took her seriously enough to tell her how much she meant to me, to all of us.  Even when she had cancer.  We all thought we will just fight it. We thought we are all invincible. Well.. we were wrong.