I was in the shower (amazing how hot water gets your brain and memory ticking) when suddenly I thought of friends, friendship and PP uncle - actually, I'm not sure which came first....
PP Uncle was one of my Dad's closest friends and the class clown. I think they joined the armed forces together and I believe PP Uncle had a joke a minute. He left the forces very early and settled down in Calcutta (now Kolkata) making pens( to simplify his business).
I first met him when he had had an operation and stayed with us in Delhi. I don't remember - might not have ever been told what operation it was but what I do remember is that it was summer because the Air conditioner was on and so the door was always shut. I used to sneak into the room to play ludo with him or just talk to him. Mom would come and shoo me out coz he was supposed to be resting. On one of these afternoons he asked me what I would like best for a birthday present and for some reason ( I don't really love either) I said, pens and balloons. I didn't at the time know that he made pens.
PP uncle got better and went home and we moved to Banglore. And then in December of that year came my 6th birthday. A few days after my birthday I was handed a parcel which had - two pens and balloons of every shape and size. I still remember the largest one ( I had never seen a balloon that big) - it was green.
Now, the story doesn't end here - it carries on. Cut to about 10 years later. I walked into the drawing room see my Dad and Mom talking to two really pretty "Didi types"( about the age of my sister Bela Didi). One was PP Uncles daughter Neelu and the other his daughter-in-law Richa. I sat there for about 10 minutes (I was about 15 years old with the attention span of a goldfish and the wasn’t really interested in anyone other than myself) listening to the conversation and only when they left did I discover they 'belonged' to PP uncle and the pens and balloons were immediately remembered....
A few years later, I went to Calcutta for a Golf tournament and Dad gave me PP Uncle's number saying that I 'must' call him. Now, which 19 year old would want to bother with calling her Dad's friend when she can hang out with your own? I kept postponing it also because I wasn't sure what I'd say. Then after much rehearsing what I would say, I called. I was invited to dinner and not knowing how to say no, I accepted. And I am so glad I did!
PP uncle was by now suffering from Parkinson's so he didn't quite recognise me but till date it is probably the nicest evening I have ever had in my entire life. I met Aunty (PP Uncle's wife), Richa (the daughter-in-law who I had met but didn't remember), the grand-daughters and last but definitely not the least, PP Uncle's son Bunty. I might have met Aunty and Bunty before toobbut I had no memories of having done so. What amazed me was that I became a part of the family within two minutes of entering the house. The girls ( 8 and 10 years old) took me to see their room and to meet their new turtle ( it was the first time I saw such a tiny one). We talked a lot but I'm not sure about what. Then we all ( except uncle of course) went off to eat my favourite Kathis at the 'real' Nizams. While we waited to get a table, the girls wandered off to look at bangles in the shop opposite the restaurant and out of politeness, I followed. Lots of oohing and aahing, laughter and giggles and 15 minutes later , courtesy Bunty, all three of us had a box of bangles each. We ate the yummiest Kathis - Bunty told 'his guy' (he's a regular at Nizam's and like every true Calcattawala has a waiter who knows his preferences) to make the 'special' one for me. Aunty and the girls were dropped home after dinner and then they proceeded to drop me to the guest house I was staying in. On the way I happened to mention that I liked Paans and so the car was turned around and 5 minutes later I was eating, the softest and creamiest Paans I had ever eaten - Gul-paan. It is aptly named coz it really did dissolve in my mouth. I still remember the sweetness and softness of that Paan and also the disappointed of it getting over too soon.
What I remember even more clearly about that evening is the warmth and 'apnapan' I received. How at that awkward age I went to meet a man I vaguely remembered but instead ended up finding a bunch of people who although I had never met (they had probably met me when i was born) seemed to remember me and love me. They made me the VIP for the evening without making me a guest. They made me feel so comfortable and special (I hate this beauty pageant word ) that I still remember every detail of that evening.
Many years have passed since. Bunty and I kept in touch and I met them every time I went to Calcutta and on one such trip he gifted me a silver pen. I still have it - kept in my safe with Atul's silly Mount Blancs. When I didn't go for a while, we lost touch but then came Facebook and we got back in touch ....thank god! We met again last December. Calcutta is now Kolkata, the girls have grown up to be beautiful women and I have two young sons. I hope that they too will be friends one day or at least that their paths will cross...
P.S: PP Uncle passed away some time back and I don't know if he left a mark on anyone's else's life or not but I do know that he made one little girl very happy!!!