The last Adieu

 

Something I wrote a few years ago ... and as we observed the anniversary I felt it should be in my blog 

Oct 13th 2015 

My husband's uncle died a couple of days ago and was cremated this morning after his only son , our cousin flew in from Houston. Babu Mama as we affectionately called him was not just our Uncle . He was , as most younger brothers of our mothers are, a friend and a mentor and someone who loved us unconditionally . Especially to my husband, this dear, caring man was like a brother and a role model. So much so that he followed in his footsteps and became an "oil " man himself ; and like him worked for years in the Refineries. Mama to me, was the epitome of what a man should be . Kind and loving and charming and caring with the most amazing sense of humour . And passionate about his work . And he was so proud of me and my work . That meant so much to me. In his home I was treated like a princess . His wife Mami was my friend and confidante and his young son and daughter , even younger than what my grandchildren are today, became my most ardent fans and till today I treasure and cherish their love for me above everything else. So much so, that I even forgot he was my husband's uncle and the family his, not mine . I kind of appropriated them . We could do no wrong in their eyes ; they loved us so much . And because of that we made certain we never made a wrong move . Love does that . It makes you good . Mama loved Bombay . Especially the beautiful bit of the city where it's two  most famous icons the Mahalakshmi  temple and the Haji Ali Dargah sit cheek by jowl on the waters of the Arabian Sea. And our cousin decided that's where he would immerse his father's ashes. As the sun set and the city decked itself in its evening glitter , he went into the waters that were receding already because of the low tide, holding the hand of young Wasim , my little friend from the fishing village who guided him like the expert navigator he was . They reached the waters and gently let the mortal remains of Mama float away into the last light of the evening . You can see them if you look carefully at the photograph . Wasim led our cousin back and we sat for a while in a wondrous silence thinking of what we had achieved . And I said to myself , Mama will never really be far from us .