Narayan’s Journal

My name is Veerasarai Surya Narayan. I am expecting my children for Pongal. This is the first time I have to worry about their arrival, stay etc. My wife Savitri was the one who was in-charge of these things. She used to call them every week, ask their well being; if they are eating right and if they are drinking 8 glasses of water every day. I don’t know why but she was peculiarly particular about the later. A few years ago I read an article that this 8 glasses of water every day thing is a myth but I didn’t dare to tell her that. She would have ignored me anyway. She passed away last year just after Pongal. And since then my kids have been asking me to come stay with them, but I could not push myself to do that. My wife and I started living in this town Srirangam after I retired 4 years ago. This was my parental village and I really like the simple life here.

Jan 12

My eldest daughter Sandhya arrived in the afternoon with her husband and two children. She lives in Mumbai and works as a professor in the mathematics department of a university where her husband is a professor in the department of psychology.

My second daughter Meera went to USA for her masters. It has been 10 years since, but there are no signs of her coming back. She works for an investment banking company and is working 24X7. Savitri had asked her to get married several times in the past, but she would not listen. She lives in Chicago with her boyfriend.

My son Arjun is still trying to find his niche in this world. His is a confused head. If he likes something, he is not good at it and if he is good at something, he is not very much “into it”, as he puts it. Right now he is a wandering photographer. He came back just a few days ago from a 3 month Himalayan tour.

Jan 13                                      

Arjun arrived this morning.

“Dad, Meera just called. Says her connection from Frankfurt is delayed and she is catching the next available one.”

Sandhya, ask Arjun to shave his beard and get a haircut for tomorrow. He looks like a aadivasi in that hairdo.

Meera arrived late in the night. She was exhausted from the flights and from the long halt in Frankfurt.

Jan 14

We all sat together after dinner reminiscing old times.

“I want to move to Mumbai.”

“Wow dad, that’s awesome. I grew tired of asking you to move.”

“But Sandhya I am not moving in with you guys. I want to rent a small apartment and live on my own. I chose to live in Mumbai because I could be near my grand kids.”

“Fair enough, I am just very happy that you at least decided to move from here.”

We all went to sleep quite late that night.

Mar 6

I arrived in Mumbai last week. I found an apartment in the Shanti Nivas colony. It is not far from Sandhya’s university. It is a quiet colony with a lot of old retired people like me. The Patnaiks live right across my flat. They are nice people. Mrs. Patnaik brought me a bowl of kheer the other day as a mark of welcome.

Mar 23

There is a park right around the corner. I went there for a walk in the evening. I found a lonely spot and sat there. It had rained quite heavily the night before, so the weather was pleasant.

“You are sitting in my spot.”

I looked up to see a 50 something woman with glasses, dressed in a yellow colored cotton saree.

“Excuse me?”

“My name is Radhika Chowdary and this is where I usually sit whenever I am in the park”, she said smiling and sat next to me.

“I am Surya Narayan”, I said extending my hand.

Mar 26

I saw her again in the park today. I waved from a distance. She waved back and still moving her arm said something which I could not hear. She left before I could reach where she was seated. I assumed that was what she was trying to say.

Mar 27

Mr. Patnaik and I were engrossed in a debate about Indian politics when Radhika came by. She joined the discussion too. I was impressed that she had such strong opinion about politics. It was almost dark when we all went back. The Patnaiks invited me over for dinner. I have been maintaining a small garden of sorts in my balcony. There were marigolds, hibiscus, roses and daisies. I plucked some for Mrs. Patnaik.

I arrived at their place at half past 8. We started eating right away. The food was very delicious. I especially liked the sweet dish, rasgulla. She is a very accomplished cook. She liked my flowers very much. She had put a rose in her hair and the rest in a vase. There was a photo frame in one corner of their living room which I had never noticed before. Mr. Patnaik cleared his throat, only then I realized that I was staring at that picture for quite a few long seconds.

“That is my son”, he said. They never mentioned their children before and I had never asked.

“He got killed in an accident 8 years ago.” 

I said nothing.

It was breezy outside so we all sat in the balcony.

April 2

Today I tried to cook okra and failed miserably. It was uncooked and a sticky paste at the same time. Mrs. Patnaik has been kind enough to either invite me for dinners or sending me over curries. I am glad I can at least make rice.

April 9

Days are passing by unnoticed. Last few days have been just routine, Mr. Patnaik and I go for long walks in the park and indulge in some lengthy conversations about everything under the sun. We see Radhika sometimes.

My cooking experiments have begun yielding better results these days. Although most of the times my curries are burnt but I can at least scrape the moderately burnt pieces off to eat. I don’t seem to have the patience to wait in the kitchen until the curry is done. Once I am out of the kitchen I totally forget I was doing anything there at all until I get a whiff of the burnt smell.

April 14

Today was my grandson Abhi’s birthday. He is 5 years old now. There was a party at their house. I took some flowers for Sandhya and a jumping toy for Abhi. I was watching Abhi and his little friends play with it.

“Abhi likes the toy you got him. He has been playing with it all evening”, Sandhya said.

I am very happy he likes it. Radhika helped me choose. You know I am not very good at these things.

Radhika?

Yes, she is the lady Mr. Patnaik and I meet very often in the park. A very smart lady.

I decided to stay at Sandhya’s tonight. It was quite late by the time we finished dinner and more over Abhi wanted me to stay.

April 23

April in Mumbai is very hot. Today’s rain came in as a thirst quencher. We were very happy and decided to walk along the sea shore and see the sun set. It was very beautiful. I often wondered how I will manage without Savitri, but I think I am doing pretty well.

April 28

Radhika invited us to an art gallery today. She said she had four passes and that we all should go. We took the local train, again her idea.

I did go to an art museum long time ago but it was easy to comprehend considering all the paintings were either women carrying water or plucking flowers. What we saw today is called contemporary art. In plain English it just means “art that has been and continues to be created during our lifetimes”. But it seemed like you need to know a completely different language to understand what was in front of us. There was a spiral art that will give you a headache if you look at it for more than a second, one had many twisted people with wobbly eyes and some were plain ugly and incomprehensible. Mr. and Mrs. Patnaiks also seemed as clueless as I was.

You seem interested in this, said Radhika.

I was staring at a reasonably simple painting. It was a black and white piece with a 3-D look. You could actually feel certain parts protrude outside the painting.

I smiled and nodded.

“I teach Indian art and culture at the university but I cannot understand most of the modern artists. I enjoy the play of colors and the drama each of these paintings have. I guess I am just old school”, she said adjusting her glasses.

We came out of the gallery exhausted.

May 11

“Our maid didn't come again, so he is helping me in the kitchen”, said Mrs. Patnaik opening the door.

Mr. Patnaik waved his hand signaling me to come into the kitchen. He had yellow gloves on which were dripping with soap water.

“I went to get some monthly provisions and met Radhika there. While we were talking she said there was a carnival in the old city and wanted me to check with you if you are interested. She will meet us at the park at 4.”

I looked at both Mr. and Mrs. Patnaik’s faces. They didn’t say anything and were just staring at each other. Together they blurted out “only if you help clean up our kitchen”. Mr. Patnaik and I were washing and rinsing the dishes while Mrs. Patnaik cooked for all of us. After lunch I went home to nap.

We reached the park and Radhika was already there. She was wearing a bright orange kurta on a red and orange striped salwar. We took the local train.

Though Mr. Patnaik resisted most of the rides, we had a lot of fun. Radhika and Mrs. Patnaik made sure that we stopped at all the shops though they didn't buy anything.

I especially enjoyed the crush ice cola and the sugar candy. It reminded me of my childhood in Srirangam.

May 17

I met Sandhya today. She told me that she was going to the US for a conference for about a week. Her parents-in-law were coming to take care of the kids. She also said she might meet Meera if she has time. I told her about my life, about Radhika, about our trips to the museum and carnival.

May 24

I went to the park by myself today. I was hoping to see Radhika there. I wanted to thank her for the nice evening at the Carnival. I didn't see her.

June 2

Mr. Patnaik and I went to the library today.

"I didn't see Radhika after the day at the Carnival. I wanted to thank her for the nice time we had. It was after all her idea."

"Who? Radhikaji?"

"Yes."

"I did not see her either since many days."

"She never mentioned husband or children."

"Well, I do not know much either. She has been living here for many years, way before we came to live here. I only know that her husband died very young after which she moved here from Kolkata. She never remarried and doesn't have kids."

June 15

We went to Radhika’s house to check if she was doing OK. None of us saw her after the night at the carnival. Her door was locked. We rang her neighbor’s doorbell. A fat Marathi woman appeared.

"I am Surya Narayan and this is Mr. Patnaik. We are friends of Radhika. We haven’t seen her since over a month. So we wanted to check if she was doing OK. Do you know where she is?" I said very anxiously.

She kept staring at us, at which point Mr. Patnaik took over in Hindi.

"I am Mrs. Godbole. I haven’t myself seen Radhika for over a month now. To be honest I don’t interfere in other people’s lives, but last week when Mr. Pathak, her landlord, was knocking her door constantly, I had to ask."

"He said she was late in paying her rent this month. Every month she used to deposit in his account by the first but this time, it was due by over 10 days, so he had to come by. I told him what I am telling you now. I saw her leave one day with a suitcase. Since it is not in my nature to intrude in other people’s lives, I didn't ask her anything. She didn't tell me anything either. Kavitaji who lives next door said she might have gone back to Kolkata. But who knows what happened. She doesn't have many visitors either, so I was in fact surprised when you two came looking for her."

"Thanks", I said. I had to interrupt her otherwise she would have spoken another hour without breath.

June 23

I was at Sandhya’s house today. We talked for a long time about their childhood and the times we all spent together. She told me that Arjun has started taking photography seriously. He was now working with a magazine and his photographs get published. She also said that Meera got promoted and was given a huge raise. I told her all about my life.

"By the way, how is your friend Radhika doing? You didn’t mention her tonight."

"I don’t know. She is gone…"

June 27

I went by Radhika’s house again today. Mrs. Godbole was outside in the corridor. I saw the lock on the door and quickly traced my steps back before she had a chance to start speaking.

July 7

Arjun was in the city on an assignment. He was staying at the City plaza hotel. He didn't say he wanted to stay with me and I didn't ask him either. If Sandhya was here, he might have stayed with her. Anyways I thought it was more suitable for him. I went to meet him today. I was in awe of the sheer size of this place. It must have been an old palace or something - exquisite and artistic. He showed me some of his pictures. We had a long chat about his photos, about buildings, about coffee and about the beautiful places he travels to as part of his job. He thinks I should go on a trip and travel to different places. He even offered me to accompany him on one of his tours.

We never had conversations like this when he was growing up. Arjun especially was petrified of me. All I used to care was about his progress report. Today’s conversation made me wonder how your son after a certain time ceases to be your son and becomes your friend. I felt very happy today.

July 11

Sandhya was back from her US trip. She brought many gifts. She got me a silver framed wrist watch, some toys for the kids, a tripod for Arjun, books for her husband and some clothes for herself. She said she will send the tripod to Arjun by post. In so many ways she is like Savitri - a glue that holds the whole family together. I am very proud of her.

After lunch I came home and Mr. Patnaik and I went for a stroll in the park. We passed by that lonely spot and I thought of Radhika. I wondered what she was doing at that moment.

July 23

I was stunned to see Radhika at the park today. She was sitting at the same spot.

"Before you start asking me questions, let me explain why and where I disappeared all of a sudden. My sister back in Kolkata was very ill. She hasn't been keeping well for some time. That night I got a call from my niece and I left the next morning. My idea was to stay for a few days and come back, but her health deteriorated and she passed away."

There was a long pause…

I am not sure if I heard everything she said. I was just glad to see her again. And I could see that she felt the same.

“I later thought I should have at least informed you before leaving”, she said apologetically.

“I am just glad you are OK and back”, I said taking the seat next to hers.