Childhood for most is a treasure trove made unique by special people, events, places, sight and even smell. Most of my childhood memories revolve around my days in Navy Nagar, Colaba, Bombay, where I spent around 10 years of my life. One of the few people who made my childhood memorable was Mrs. Julie Balraj or 'Balraj Aunty' as I fondly called her.
She was a teacher at a Kendriya Vidyalaya school. Her husband (Balraj uncle) and my dad served in the Indian Navy and that's how we got acquainted and were almost a family. My mom being from Madras, hardly knew anyone in Bombay and immediately saw a friend in Balraj aunty. We used to visit them most weekday evenings and almost every weekend. She was quite stylish and always carried with her a warm smile and an aura that would comfort anyone at an instant.
It was during these days back in 1984 when my sister Deepika was born, my dad was busy running between hospitals and home and I stayed with Balraj aunty for a few days. I remember her taking me to a park and had a photo session with me on her 'point and shoot' camera. I would regularly stay with her over the following weekends and she would take me along to the Sunday morning catholic mass at an RC church.
After Balraj uncle voluntarily retired from Indian Navy and went on to sail in Merchant Navy ships, she found herself alone in Bombay for long periods of time. She did have the occasional visitor from her hometown in Tamil Nadu, but on other days we were the only family she had (or atleast I would think so). So I felt, we filled that void to some extent. I would sit with her for hours and watch her correct the homework and exam papers of her students. She would look me straight in the eye and quote that I have pretty eyes and I would blush at it every single time.
I can recollect some events involving her, quite vividly !
- There was this time one evening when my father thrashed me badly for lying about coming home late from a friends place. The next day he wanted to make up for it, so took me to Balraj aunty's house. She was shocked at seeing the marks on my body and gave my dad a piece of her mind, so much that not only he felt bad but even I felt sorry for him :-)
- This other time, I had a task of collecting public donations for a school cause. We were also to collect the names of people in a leaflet provided by school. The leaflet had space for 25 names and target was Rs. 50 i.e. Rs. 2 per person. I first went to Balraj aunty and seeked the first donation. She took a pen, struck all the rows, wrote her name and gave me the Rs. 50. I was surprised and furious and even wept as I wanted to go by the rules and collect this money from 25 different people. She then pacified me and explained in her calm demeanor, the rationale behind donations etc. I felt like a fool later on :-)
- My mom being the good tailor she was, always stitched matching dresses for my sister and me from the same piece of cloth. As a result some of my shirts had floral patterns in them. After a while, Balraj aunty strictly adviced me against wearing these floral dresses and inculcated an early sense of dressing in me; something I do not regret at all.
Between giving me frequent advices, asking me not to wink at girls (not that I did), watching me grow up, and being a good friend to my mom; I felt she saw me as a child she did not have. She was literally my second mother too during that phase of my life. It was many years later and after both our families shifted to Madras, that she had a girl child. We were very happy that her prayers were duly answered with a precious baby. She was so happy that she named the girl Joy - Anita Joy.
As we grew older and busier with our lives, I almost did not visit her for many years despite living just a few kilometers apart. She made it to my wedding though, and was one of the most special guests that evening. It was very recently after my daughter Aaradhana's birth, I felt the need to reconnect with Balraj aunty. I wanted to know from her what my parents went through during my sister's birth as she had a first hand account of all events from those days. I tried visiting her a couple of times, but on both occasions, she had travelled abroad to be with her daughter. I was fortunate to talk to her last year (2020) and we had a good healthy chat. We decided to meet soon and seek her blessings for Aaradhana.
Few days after we spoke, I had to travel with family for work and relocate to London. We exchanged few messages from aunty over the next few months, and then a few months later, heard the news that she succumbed to covid-19. It was a terrible news. She left her near and dear ones and reached the abode of God; And for me, left a lot of my questions unanswered - these were questions about the life of my parents during our stay in Bombay.
All my memories with you will remain etched in my mind as long as I can possibly remember you, Balraj aunty.
We miss you. Rest In Peace !
"Smile an everlasting smile
A smile can bring you near to me
Don't ever let me find you down
'Cause that would bring a tear to me...."
