The story from the beginning
“Uncle, my mom’s 60th birthday is coming up. My brother and I would like to create for her a book of memories. Some of the stories we already know. We plan to find out the cherished memories about her from family, friends, and colleagues.” Anu told me. “Will you help us?”
The idea of a memory book, and my idea to pursue this as a viable business interest, started with this simple request. As a writer and designer of magazines and websites, this was a dream project. My intention became to design a book Chitra will be proud of and, hopefully, display it on her coffee table.
When I visited Chitra recently at her home for Diwali (festival of lights in India) celebrations I saw the heavy, printed coffee table book being carefully passed around. Although it looked slightly fatigued at the constant thumbing, the pages held well.
More than a true friend
I met Chitra for the first time in the Middle East. She was pushing a pram that held her months-old son. A young girl of four, with a determined face, walked by her side. Chitra introduced her sister and family with whom she stayed.
Much later, I came to know that when my wife and I met her she was recently widowed.
Migrating to N. America in 2001, Chitra built a life of her own. She came to stay in the apartment five floors below ours. Over the next few years we got to know her well. The friendship that we built over 25 years … I am proud to call her a true friend. An adopted sister.
Defining moments in life
There are moments in life that define a person. Some collapse under the burden. Others rise and create their own destiny. Wherever Chitra worked, she proved that under the gentle exterior there resided a person of incredible courage and integrity.
“Winters here can be harsh,” I advised her. “Combined with the wind, sometimes, the chill can reach your bones. It’s better to wear appropriate clothing for all seasons.”
She’d listen to you with a smile and continue with what she believed was right. She pushed her own boundaries so often that people marvelled at her strength of character. I have seen her in train stations and in the dead of winter wearing brightly coloured sarees. She never wavered from her chosen path.
She’d strike up conversations with strangers. Over the years, it had become difficult to invite her for a meal simply because she had her calendar full. The memory book will attest to the fact that her circle of friends was indeed wider than most people’s.
Keeping the secret
When this request for a memory book came my way I was delighted. For the next four months we (the children, Chitra’s extended family all over the globe, friends, and colleagues) kept it a secret.
The book contained images from her childhood days and writings from well wishers. To evoke her memories of some of the joyful incidents, her children commissioned an artist to paint those memories in water colour sketches. Everything possible went into the book.
On her sixtieth birthday, at a private resort on the banks of the Ganges her children had exclusively booked for the event complete with musicians flown in, we presented her with the book.
Note. Names changed due to privacy concerns.
