An ordinary life

My father’s elder sister Padmalaya Das, who was fondly called Mami Nani by almost everyone in our extended Ratho family had no children of her own. I don’t know if that was a reason why she showered her love so generously on her nephews and nieces. Maybe not. Maybe she was just born like that. Some people are.

Mami Nani’s house in Cuttack was so full of books and papers, because both she and her husband were bibliophiles, that there wasn’t much space left to entertain guests. But she did. She would invite us in ones and twos and cook delightful meals for us. Her little abode, accessible through a flight of narrow winding stairs was an island of peace and love.

I was fascinated by Mani Nani’s love for books and her anecdotes. . She wrote very well too – in English. Her style was fluid and her humour gentle. Her column Cuttack Notebook, published regularly in the 1970s in the Hindustan Standard newspaper ( published in Calcutta) was a delight to read – even for youngsters like me. While she favoured fiction , her husband Mr GN Das read serious books on Anthropology and allied subjects. He was a proud and brilliant man from an aristocratic family who never took up a job. He was too busy researching esoteric subjects like the history of cyclones and embroiled in litigation over ancestral agricultural lands. Mami Nani and he led simple and peaceful lives unadorned by material possessions like motor cars but she never seemed to envy the relatively less modest lifestyles of her brothers. She loved everyone and everyone loved and respected her. Her life was devoted to social work and she was associated with many NGOs, local and International.

There is a special reason for remembering Mami Mani on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. She would come unfailingly on that day every year to tie Raakhi around the wrists of her brothers – and her Bhabis ! And there were always little goodies for the nephews and nieces. I really don’t remember the goodies but I do remember her smiles and her soothing voice and her love of books .

Mami Nani left us somewhat early. I think of her often. Especially on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

#nostalgia #aunts #brothers #sisters #books #love # Cuttack #simplicity #beauty #departed