The Likes of Them

My Guru sister Padmasree Tripti Mukherjee wrote in her Facebook status last week 'During his visit in NYC for Hoover Medal awarded by Columbia University in 2009, I and Archana Gollamudi (her friend) went to meet President Abdul Kalam, with my Guruji (Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj). As I made a cup of tea for my Guruji and served him, President Abdul Kalam Sahib noticed that and asked "Where is my cup?" With his permission, I made him a cup of tea and was privileged to offer him that. What a humble man!

This comment and her accompanying picture in the Facebook brought about many recollections of anecdotes and stories I had read about President Abdul Kalam in his life story 'The Wings of Fire'.

Abdul Kalam wrote that he came from very humble beginnings and sometimes sold newspapers to bring some money for the family. During his childhood years Churchill's photograph had been published in the newspapers and people read that with great interest. Abdul Kalam asked other people, "Who is that? And what are they discussing?" He learned that Churchill was a great leader and he wished that he could be someone so that one day his picture would also be published in the newspapers! When he started going to school, he needed to do further reading. There was a man who owned a library in his village. Abdul Kalam's father held his son's hand and walked to the rich man's library. On the way to the library and back, his father, who was illiterate, would often tell him stories from Islamic history and other stories to build up his character. Abdul Kalam remembered those and when he grew up, he reflected back on them, he felt that even without formal education, the messages that his father had imparted to him, were the basis of a code of conduct that he had instilled in him. He realized that his father was indeed a learned scholar.

This realization is like finding a mother of pearl amongst the shells that you gather in the beach. You open each one with a spark of hope and lo and behold in one of them you find a pearl!

The story with which I started was about my Guru's sister meeting President Abdul Kalam along with our Guruji Pandit Jasraj. 

In 1989, I was learning music from Guruji in Mumbai. An offer came for a programme in Pune, the host mentioned, "In the early morning I shall be driving down to Pune in my car, I can send the car back and pick you up around noon, and you should be in Pune before the show." Gurui sweetly declined, "I shall travel by train with my students." When the host left, one of the students volunteered,"Guruji, you go by car in comfort and style, we can follow by train." Guruji said, "I was thinking about the chauffer, he would have to make two trips to Pune on the same day!"

Guruji was great friends with my father former Chief Justice Mustafa Kamal whom we lost on 5th January 2015. Following his demise, there were overwhelming outpouring of grief and reminiscences from top legal luminaries, Chief Justices, Professors, fellow Rotarians, fellow walkers, friends and relatives. I did not have a chance to listen to the reminiscences of a humble female domestic staff who worked in the flat building where my father lived. She met me for Eid contributions prior to Eid, she told me that my father saw her sweeping the staircase (same day he passed away) and told her, "You should wear a mask or else the dust will cause allergy or fever. If I were young, I would go to the shops right now." That night, he passed away, the domestic staff mentioned. I went to my bedroom and got her an extra mask that I had from visiting a friend in United hospital. It is my duty to follow through what my father had wished. Not me alone, collectively, we must follow the "likes of these great men/women". Salam.