CHARLIE BHAI SAHIB- MY AFFECTIONATE (MAYBE A BIT MAVERICK) ELDER BROTHER
The purpose behind this blog is to fete, facilitate and express my appreciation for my Elder Brother (I hate to define the relationship — as a cousin- of course for the record he is my mother’s brother’s Son) — B K (the acronym of his full name Brijendra Kumar) to his friends, Mr Syngal to his colleagues and Charlie Bhai Sahib to all of us, who graduates to the category of becoming a Super Senior Citizen today having completed a fulfilling, satisfying and rewarding eighty years. Mind you, before going ahead, I may say that he is a living embodiment of the adage “age being just a number”- even at this age he has the unlimited capacity to share in the most crass joke, indulge (when he is in the mood) in the most playful banter , complemented by mental agility and a physique, which would put a much younger mortal to shame. Of course he is delightful company, I may hasten to again add, when in the mood, where he will regale you with (now after so many sittings, mostly repetitive) stories of the partition, the extended family, his academic and professional career ( his interaction with the professional, political and business “hoi- polloi”) and above all vignettes of wisdom( which are not repetitive).
Being the eldest surviving member of the extended family, he has fulfilled his role as an elder within aplomb and grace, laced with the most potent dosage of love, affection and care. He has been there for all of us, and for me particularly in times of need, offering support, comforting words, a shoulder to lean and cry on ( in a lighter vein, something, which he is also very prone to, and not too infrequently getting emotional and shedding more than just a tear ). For me personally he has never let me feel the loss of my siblings or their absence at any time (however being the person that he is, I am sure he misses them as much as I do). Nevertheless it eminently suffices to say that he has fulfilled all his family responsibilities, whether to his immediate or extended family, in a manner befitting the old school. While he and I share a special bond, our families are even otherwise very close since but for my Parents, the acceptance of his decision to marry, in the 1960’s a girl from outside the “biradari” and her subsequent seamless integration into the family would well-nigh have been impossible.
On the flip- side, however, and as all of us readily admit and have frequently witnessed, he is prone to , again, more than the occasional bouts of bad temper (of course in the respect, sadly I also seem to have taken after him), with a tendency to fly off his handle, even sometimes without the slightest of provocation — God forbid if you happen to cross his hairs when he is in one of those phases. Caught in such a situation you can see one of the most ferocious display of verbal abuse — the obvious course of action in such a case would be just to keep quiet, not retaliate or respond, for in just about no time he would be cool as a cucumber — a totally different reincarnation — indeed his capacity to simultaneously surprise and confound you is confusing ,amusing and more than anything else, astounding.
On the Professional front, after graduating from the prestigious IIT, Kharagpur in the 1960’s he joined the Indian Telecom Service and had a distinguished career in the Telecom Sector for almost half a century including as the Chairman of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, wherein he pioneered the then largest issue of Global Depository Receipts (GDR’s) and was the driving force behind the introduction of Internet in India earning him the sobriquet –“Father of the Internet in India”. He with his integrity, hardwork, ability to call a spade a spade (plain speak of the most exponential order) and foresight has left an indelible mark on the Indian Telecom scene.
But ironically, and on a lighter side, the technologically emancipated, Father of the Internet in India, still carries a bag containing his cheque books and pass-books , goes to the bank to draw cash for his needs, does not use the ATM and shies away from internet banking or e-transactions. At first sight, perhaps a sign of his inability to keep pace with technology, but on a closer look a reflection of his lack of faith in the integrity of the people running the same. Well, you might consider that as an irony in his professional Mindspace ( his unpedictable temperament, I wrote about earlier being his “personal irony”) . The other side to him is that while he is the embodiment of scientific knowledge, he symbolises the perfect blend of Science and Religion being a deeply God-fearing Soul at heart with an elaborate ritual of Pooja and visits to the Temple/ places of pilgrimage being an inalienable part of his routine. Of course, again in a lighter vein and rather ironically his belief in, what I call, superstitions , is almost legendary and the stuff of many of our lighter family gossip and banter.
Nevertheless, he, Charlie Bhai Sahib, my elder brother was, is and will always be one of the most compassionate delightful, caring and affectionate brothers. Wish you all the best Bhai Sahib as you technically graduate to becoming a Super Senior Citizen, as I said earlier only numerically — in your mind you still as Young as ever, your agility and mindfulness having the capacity to put a much younger me to bottomless shame. Hope you continue to spread joy, love and cheer for many more years to come. We all and I personally do cherish your towering, maybe sometimes domineering, presence. Let me end before you start hounding me for having wasted too much of your time.
