An odyssey down the memory lane

From the albums

This picture was taken in 1973 at our home in Jayanagar 8th Block. Our home is called ‘Green Room’. It was taken on the occasion of my father Makeup Nani’s birthday when all the family and friends were invited.

Seen in the picture are my grandparents Dr Nanjundaiah and Sharadamma, my father Makeup Nani, mother Bhargavi Narayan and siblings Sujatha, Prakash, Pradeep and myself.

I must have been about six- years-old when this picture was taken. Birthdays were always a grand affair in our home. The food would never be catered from outside but cooked at home. Musicians would be invited to perform and there would also be some standup comedy performed by our friends.

I had a very adventurous and memorable childhood. My parents were both working and I was looked after by my grandparents. My mother has played an important part in shaping my thought process. A cheerful lady, my mother has always been a popular and respected theatre artiste.

I always admired the way she balanced her responsibilities at home and work. My father was a highly organised and meticulous person. He commanded a lot of respect from everybody in the family, friends and colleagues. My father washed his own clothes and never troubled anybody for anything. He is no more but is still missed by us.

My grandfather was a very chirpy person. He would socialise with everybody and there was nobody in the neighbourhood who didn’t know him. He would always converse in Kannada and made it a point to teach people the language, if they didn’t know or understand it.

As a child, I was close to my sister and brothers. Each one of them has played a significant role in my life. Sujatha is the oldest and I must admit that she is a born leader. She was such a brave woman that she cycled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir after her first child was born.

She is also an active practitioner of yoga and continues to practice it even to this day. In fact, she was a state yoga champion at one point. Prakash has been my mentor and guide. He taught me to solve my first crossword and I picked up the habit of reading from him. I would turn to him whenever I needed help and looked up to him for guidance.

There’s an age difference of only one year and eight months between my brother Pradeep and myself. I remember him as a very shy child. Pradeep is the youngest one and was the baby of the family. He and I used to fight a lot as kids but we would soon patch up and play together again. He chose to become a production designer for television commercials.

My mother always brought the family together. She would make it a point to celebrate all the festivals and involve us (children) in the preparations. The tradition of the family coming together for special occasions continues even to this day. My mother is 77 years old but she is still active during festivals and celebrates them with the same spirit and fervour as she did when we were children. We are all married but however busy each of us may be, we still make it a point to be present for all the occasions celebrated at my mother’s house.

(As told to Nina C George)