Joba + Dada - A Remembrance

For those who read my post I wish... see if you can recall the one very special wish I'd mentioned in it - "I wish... both of my Ajobas were here today", remember? I, for the last couple of weeks am really missing both of them. That's when Samir asked me whether is there any special reason for that... and believe me I'm thinking and thinking since that day to find out the reason... but still haven't been able to do so. Then I thought, is a reason necessary? Here's a remembrance to those two great souls - 

"Joba": Baba's and "Dada": Aai's, that's what I used to call both my Ajobas. 

Joba was a jovial man. He was admired for the strength and will power that he had. He was a philanthropist always giving away his belongings and a part of what he earned in charity. An avid reader he would ask for the newspaper the first thing in the morning, and would watch only News and Sports channels on TV; but then diabetes popped up its ugly face and Joba's eyesight started deteriorating each day :-( He wouldn't miss a single newscast for anything and I'd fight for the remote with him if any of my TV shows clashed with the newscast. For the cricket matches though it was we both against Ajji and Aai. The ultimate treat on a cricket-match-day would be ice-creams post-match if India won (later seeing my love for it, he used to treat me with ice-cream even if India lost!) I attribute my love of reading and whatever little vocabulary I can boast of to Joba: he would ask me to read aloud the TOI every morning (serving two purposes - his, due to lack of eyesight and mine too), and then before retiring in the night, give me a new word or a phrase with its meaning. I still have the diary where I used to write down those words...

Ajji did her level best to never allow Joba to feel lonely or defeated by constantly engaging him in discussions and some or the other activity. Hardly one who'd stay indoors for long hours, Joba used to get restless and agitated at his lack of ability to venture out doors owing to the deteriorating eyesight :-(

In October 2004, in his 77th year, he slipped and fell in the bathroom fracturing his thigh bone; further crippling him - indirectly laying the final blow to his strength, whatever little independence he still lived with and most importantly his will-power. That day in the hospital, he looked very tired for some reason. He did not utter a word all day, he did not even speak to me. One of my aunts that he's very fond of came to visit but he had no strength to talk to her and to tease her like he did always. He'd always hide her chappals when she'd come and on that day, though he was tired and unwell, he still managed to hold her footwear down with his feet, if not hide them. Classic Joba - jovial and naughty! However, as the sun started setting in, he sinked even more and that's when I felt uneasy... I was scared.

The next morning was not the same... how would it be with no Joba.

___________

Dada was similar to Joba in many respects, philanthropy being one. One thing we all cousins looked forward to in the summer vacations was staying with Dada for the better part it - purely for the pampering! Imagine him buying us sweets of our choice every two days; not to mention the omelettes, milkshakes he used to treat us with every morning. I'm damn sure Neha and Tushar would agree with each and every view of mine here. I owe my entire Tinkle collection to him :-D 

He valued relationships a lot - visiting everyone, inviting all and making it a point to call his friends on their Birthdays. No wonder his place used to be a Senior Citizens' adda, and it left me amazed with the no. of friends he had! Being a patient of Diabetes, he did suffer from ups and downs in his health and it was sheer bad luck that he didn't have any of us there during his final distress call :-'(

Though my Kaka ajoba and the neighbours admitted him to a hospital, he couldn't see the day off.

I couldn't digest the fact then that Dada is gone, none of us could. We were expecting him to wake up any minute even after the doctor issued the death certificate. It's only when people started coming in weeping that we realised what had happened. Aai and Maushi cried bitterly. Even I did.

I regret a few things though - one of them being I couldn't personally attend to him due to my 10th Board exams at that time. One more reason to curse those goddamn exams :-x Most of all, I regret not being able to go back in time and spend more time with Dada.

___________

Both were satisfied and people say they were very lucky in that respect; both died a peaceful death. I'd never experienced the loss of someone in my life before. So this came on differently.

We sometimes still feel Joba and Dada are with us; it's hard to believe they are gone forever. Sometimes I think God has a way of helping us deal with the loss of a loved one... The feeling doesn't sink in too soon, and when it does, time has already done the healing.

You both will always be remembered for your special ways, Joba and Dada!