Age, just a number

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE

With a hot sip of bru coffee, he begins his day with Deccan Herald. Solving Sudoku, doing the crossword — both easy and cryptic — is a part of his daily routine. It’s my husband’s grandfather N Ramarao — Taatha as we call him — who completes 99 years this October. Reading books is still Taatha’s hobby. He makes sure he reads 100 books atleast every year.

There is an interesting way in which Taatha shops for books. Once in six months he goes to Avenue Road by auto, gives away the books he reads. He then purchases new second-hand books in terms of kgs and brings them home. This is going on for the last few years. Books and newspapers are his best companions. I have hardly seen him watching television.

Earlier, Taatha would make a trip to his favourite eateries in an auto once in a while, maybe to Vidyarthi Bhavan or any far-off place. The pandemic has stopped him from going out. He says he is a responsible citizen so he is at home.

Talking about the outbreak of many health issues, Taatha says it’s the food you eat that counts. He recalls his time in Mysore when he would grow all vegetables in front of his house, pluck them fresh to cook for lunch. No chemicals were used to grow them and nothing was classified as organic or non-organic.

Taatha started his career in the Mysore Palace at the age of 21. Later, he moved to the Karnataka State Accounts and Audit Team as an auditor. He retired from service in 1977 as Assistant Controller of State Accounts. In the late 60s, he started his own ‘not-for-profit’ wholesale business. His motive was and is to feed the needy with no emphasis on money.

I still remember the day when I met Taatha for the first time. I made a mistake by holding his hand as there were stairs ahead. Taatha immediately smiled and asked me, “You are still young, you need my help to get down the stairs is it?” He then told me, “Once you get old and need help to walk, let me know, I will hold your hand and help you out.”

Probably being so very optimistic has kept him going. I feel blessed to see such an inspiring person stepping on a milestone.

On a lighter note, if I ask him his age, he says, “Age difference is just a number, it’s all your mind that counts.” Thinking about what can I gift him for his birthday, I can only think of his all-time attire white dhoti and white shirt, and of course his favourite “Badam Halwa” from Parimala sweets.