Bumble

I don’t have words to express how much Papiya – our dearest ‘Bumble’ – meant to me and how much I will miss her. From feeding me Farex on the window-sill of her room, to indulging my amateurish efforts at scholarly discussion, to the subtle ways in which she exposed and corrected my prejudices, and of course the innumerable disputed games of Scrabble and in the way in which she came up with some of the best nicknames I have ever had, she is always going to be in my fondest memories. She was a confidante and a true teacher. Her praise was true and her criticisms fair. She wanted me to really be all that I could-encouraging me to develop what she called ‘real’ interests beyond the Science and Maths that were my daily bread. In her vast Library I could always find something new and interesting to immerse myself in. Literature, Music, History, Politics – everything I know about these and several other more eclectic subjects can be traced back to her inexhaustible collection in Patna. I never ceased to be amazed by the depth and breadth of her knowledge, but more importantly, how humble she was and how lightly she wore all her accomplishments. Her professional achievements are well known, but to me her love, warmth, sheer selflessness and the pure resolve by which she maintained our house in Patna as a real sanctuary was truly remarkable. She really was noble and lived by her principles, qualities that are to be cherished because they are too rare in our world. The manner of her death could not have been less befitting of the way in which she lived her life. I pray she is at peace now. Whatever I am and whatever I may become will be owed in no small part to her. After all, as she would say ‘aakhir tumko Farex kisne khilaya hai?'  

SAURAV, (NEPHEW
LONDON