Some precious memories with someone I respect

Some precious memories with someone I respect

At 7.45 am on 06 Jan 2022, I had a call from Adv. Dimple Mohan, our trustee. She was frantic and incoherently told me that her father, Dr Mohandas had fainted. I got dressed and was dashing out to her place when she called up again to tell me that it was all over. In a moment, a precious relationship ended, without notice. One of the most respected of my personal acquaintances had departed into history.
Two things that opened up in my mind were the closeness that had existed and two the impermanence of life. This relative of mine had gone, the day before to meet a doctor, and been assured that he was just fine. In fact he was quite buoyant the next day and even did a few rounds of brisk walking. In the morning, after taking his morning cup of tea, he was on the way to the bath, he collapsed. He passes away within minutes. He nor any of his family would have even dreamt that the exit would be so imminent, quick and thankfully painless. While fate decides the longevity of any life, there is reason to believe that the other two aspects – the quickness and painlessness of a passing is to a great extent dependent on the quality of life one lived.
I recall meeting Dr Mohandas, at that time the chief physician at ISRO. We had just purchased the property at Nanthancode in 1989 and had the famed architect Shanker design and build the house. It was through him that we met Dr Mohandas, whose house was also designed and built by Shanker. I recall being impressed by the quiet, dignified nature of my new found acquaintance and before long we struck up a very deep relationship. His family consisted of his wife Radha and two children Deepak and Dimple. It was an ideal family and a very closely knit one too. We watched and made notes of the ideal way he brought up his children, both as a friend and parent. In fact my wife Beena, use to point him out as the ideal to follow in life to me. In fact the relation between Dimple and me, one of niece and uncle, continue to date with no change.
Together we set up a residence association in those early days, when local residence associations were a rarity. He was chosen as the first president and it was obvious that we had made a right choice. I still remember the first anniversary celebrations that lasted two days and nights, with every house illuminated and the events that followed. We had cooked our dinner together in unison and we were happy and pleased with our oneness and unity. Dr Mohandas led the way and we were all pleased with his leadership. It is said true mark of a leader is his ability to lead quietly.
There are many instances that I remember, but one stands out in my mind. The Swasthi Theme Song was a senrespect

timental creation that required one woman to shave her head off and there obviously were no takers. It was when we were in a no go situation that, not surprisingly, Dimple puts up her hands and had her head shaved off at Shanthigiri Ashram. She not consulted anyone at home nor did she seem saddened by the loss of her precious tresses. Most of us expected, that there will be some repercussions at home, as a woman in her youth shaving her head off was not a very common thing, even in urbanized Indian societies.
However instead of the expected retributions, what happened next shook us to the core. The next day, Dr Mohandas calls me and asks me whether I was at Swasthi. On being told that I was, he came all alone to see me. Then with an element of secrecy, he hands over a cheque for an amount of one lakh rupees. This, he said was for the cause of the care of women with ailments such as the one represented by his daughter in the video. The poignancy and the hope that followed had touched his heart to the core and this was the response.
This is trend that his children had followed. Like his younger sister and father, Deepak had come forth when the Revival of Vellayani Lake had come up. I guess it comes with the genes. Dimples’ son Harish takes after his grandfather very closely.
He was someone who passed away, much as he lived – quietly and in peace. As he lay in repose, his face reflected the nature of his life –peacefulness.