Follow this tribute and get updates
User avatar
gauravl80
15 years ago

User avatar
gauravl80
15 years ago

My Dadaji was a one of a kind person. A person of high intellect, multitudes of different talents and a unrelenting zest for life. He adored all his grandchildren and was very happy whenever we visited him. I distinctly remember that he used to call me betaji when I called him dadaji. Dadaji was an out and out foodie with a particular liking for spicy and sweet food: Camp ke nukkad waale chhole bhature, tikki and samosas Freshly prepared elaichi waali Burfi (A Palwal specialty) Rasmalai from Camp Mathura ke pedey, Badaam thandai etc were usually well stocked at our home in Palwal. We used to marvel at his super efficient digestive system and his ability to ignore those big Palwal mosquitoes. He used to take bath several times a day, especially during Palwal’s power cuts since he was very bothered by heat. As Neha mentioned as well, he had a great liking for Music. He sang heartily as well as played many musical instruments. He taught me how to play the Harmonium and Banjo. However, the flute turned out to be too complicated for me. I still remember to play the songs “Aao bacho tumhe sikhayen” and “Dil ke armaan aauson mein beh gaye”. I turned his audio cassette collection upside down every time I went to Palwal. This is where I acquired a taste for old hindi music. His favorites were Rafi and Mukesh. I believe that he liked the songs of the movie “Naya Daur” the most. I used to love it when he came to our home in Delhi. Not only was it time for eating good home cooked food since mom used to cook special dishes.. but also a time for chugging colas and munching chips (something my parents were not very encouraging about). Ofcourse, he kept these matters just between the two of us. I remember that he bought me an expensive pichkaari for holi that my parents didn’t want to squander money on:-) Whenever I used to go to Palwal, he used to get the omnipresent but forever dysfunctional bicycle repaired for me so that I can ride about with it. I once took it far away(more than 10 kms) riding along the nehar(bumba) and was unmindful of the time. Dadiji got so worried that she sent off dadaji to find me. Dadaji went to the usual places and then realized that I had spoken to him about riding beside the nehar. He followed my tracks but his Moped(Vicky) broke down. He waited for me to come back on my path. When I did come back and saw him waiting for me, he jovially offered me 10 bucks for pushing the Vicky back home. It was tough work, but I was well compensated:-) He was enterprising and entrepreneurial since he initiated the plantations we have at the backyard of our house as well as tried growing the high maintenance cash crop of Khumbi(mushroom) on our farmland near village Taithar. I was particularly mischievous and was sometimes castigated by him for climbing trees and walls. However, I ran to dadiji for my rescue in such situations.. and she always delivered.. Dadaji has a knack of buying second hand things. At one time he bought an old run down Fiat and I pushed it for nearly half an hour to get it running on the road:-) Other second hand acquisitions were taperecorder and TV. I never used to top the class like Neha but dadaji used to treat us all equally. Dadaji used to travel a lot, he was a religious man devoted to god and visited Vrindavan often. I remember that when I used to visit Palwal 10 years back, he used to wear his white sport shorts and go for jogging. He used to be magnanimous with his donations to religious babajis. He was the last remaining sign of the royalty my great-grandfather achieved when he was the ADC of Bharatpur’s king. The aura of high class living and pride was always around him. I visited him last in April 2008 and we talked for a long time about life in the US. He was very encouraging of my endeavors and gave me his blessings. It’s unfortunate that our Palwal home is now devoid of his boisterous, resounding laughter. I am sure that he will be dearly missed by all of us since he touched our lives in many positive ways. May his soul rest in peace.. Amen!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's the mail I wrote to my father on recieving the sad news: ---------------------------------------------------------- Dear Papaji, It is truly a saddening news indeed. I had spent some great times with dadaji and was a grateful witness to his cheerful and magnanimous spirit. I believe that his intellect and deft abilities have been passed to us and are the reason why we are able to be successful in life. You already know that I always longed to go to Palwal during childhood and adoloscence to meet Dadaji and Dadiji. It must be of some consolation to you that you were helping him and were performing your duty during his last days as you did earlier as well. I am proud that you have been diligent in your dedication to your parents and have served them to the best of your abilities. I trust that you would be at Dadiji's side to comfort her in this difficult time. Its a personal loss to all of us, Me and Chhotu share your sorrow here and wish we were there to personally help you perform the last rites. Please let me know in case you need any kind of assistance and we'll try our best despite the geographical seperation. I wanted to talk to Dadiji, is there a number where I can reach other people in Palwal? I know that this must be hurting you deeply but the responsibility for the Lamba household rests on your shoulders now. In these crucial times you need to be the pillar of strength as you have always been to us. Although I am not very religious, I shall pray that dadaji's soul rest in peace, Warm Regards, Gaurav Lamba --------------------------------------------------------- From: Jasbir Lamba <jasbirlamba@yahoo.com> To: Gaurav Lamba <gauravl80@yahoo.com> Cc: saurabh lamba <saurabhl85@yahoo.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 1:43:07 PM Subject: about the sudden demise of your grandfather in hospital on3 2 2009 at 3PM It is a sad news that your grand father has passed away on 3 2 2009 in the Saroj Hospital Iam going to Palwal on 4 2 2009 with your mom It may take 4-5 days for me to remain in Palwal

User avatar
nehak84
15 years ago

User avatar
nehak84
15 years ago

Nanaji.....as I used to call him, has always been close to my heart, as I've spent the initial days of my life with him ....when I was just 1 year old. I remember.....how he used to bring fresh burfi for me whenever I craved for it and told him I want "buffa" (palwal ki burfi). I cannot forget his words of encouragement and appreciation....whenever I did well in studies.....which always boosted my confidence and motivation to do still better..... I remember his loud laughter.....as he always cackled on one thing or another and filled the surroundings with joy and positiveness. I remember the times, when we all used to get together in palwal in our summer vacations and used to have loads of fun there....nd nanaji would bring garam garam samosa and pakoras for all of us.... .. I was always amazed with his superb talent of playing so many musical instruments....he was so fond of them....he used to play so many tunes...on Banjo, Bansuri nd harmonium....(nd the " Aao bachhon tumhe dikhyein" being his favorite one). I remember him as a very active person.....always ready to travel to any place.....At such an age, he even came to attend my wedding.....so sweet of him.... It was Nov 2008, when I last met him.....he had grown quiet old.....and so weak...... He talked to me about how is America.....how is everything here...am I fine here...and all. At that time I didn't realise that it's the last time I am meeting him.....it has always been so good to meet him, to talk to him and to be with him.... Though he is not physically present in this world....but he's always going to be there with me..... I pray to God .... May his soul rests in peace.....

User avatar
nehak84
15 years ago

User avatar
nehak84
15 years ago

You'll always be with us!!!

×
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show (non-) personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
Statistics
Marketing
Accept Deny Manage Save
Privacy Policy