To me he was the man who launched a thousand smiles. It is quite an emotional act to write about somebody who is no longer present in this world. The charm and the aura of that person becomes all the more vibrant when there is a trail of lovely memories associated with that person.
I have many fond memories about Babyettan. I have always felt his presence right from my childhood. He was my dad’s best friend and if I remember correctly they were like carrot and peas. They had their own share of fun and exotic escapades. They even had a special kind of language to converse with each other filled with tamil and Kunnamkulam slang.
Babyettan was fond of traveling and just one year back he had visited his relatives in Mumbai. He was a good conversationalist. He kept his audience always in the comfort zone and made them laugh and roll on the floor. I used to eagerly wait for his arrival at our home. Usually his arrival was notified to us by a loud shout of my dad's name. The visit normally lasted for some hours. This social interaction always reminded me of the weekly roundup shows in news channels. Those days the outside world came inside my dad's shelter breaking the barriers of cement and stones.
He was an avid reader and this helped him to stay abreast with the latest happenings in the world of literature and cinema. He never missed a good cinema. He was acutely critical about the dwindling quality of the malayalam cinema. He was a regular visitor at some of the literary events in the city. Being part of the All India Radio circle ( AIR) he was always invited for these events. He used to subscribe to magazines and usually he read for a considerable amount of time before hitting the sack.
His fiery spirit is something which I admired. He took life as it came and never had any real worries. Maybe people who took life as a mathematical equation will find his way of life bit difficult to accept. He had his individuality and it was unique. He lost his soul mate years ago and lived his life with exuberance and joy. Maybe the soul mate's passing away was one of his deep and private thoughts.
He was a social being and his presence was felt in almost every social occasions like weddings, baptisms, funerals and death anniversaries. He enjoyed the act of sharing his travel itinerary with people around him. Due to this social gatherings he was always on the move. He travelled by train and bus frequently and he liked to walk.
He liked ot walk in the morning and in the evening. He had his own speed and unique style. He usually carried an umbrella with him. The umbrella served as both as a walking stick and as a protection from sun.
There are many memories associated with Babyettan. When I was student in Loyola college chennai he had come there to visit me. I was a student there and he had come to Chennai to visit his relative. We both went for a walk in the campus. He was lucky that day to see the actress of yesteryears – Seema. He was surprised and thrilled and I could sense the youthful memories flooding his mind and he was gripped with the waves of nostalgia. He was the one who conveyed to me the news that my article has been published in education edition of ' The Hindu' .
He liked good and tasty food. He experimented with different types of food. I used to check with him for all the latest information about the new food outlets in Calicut.
His lived his life in three places and all the three had a common association. They began with the letter K - Kunnamkulam, Kochi, and Kozhikode. He was born in Kunnamkulam. He had both spiritual and intimate connections with this place. He was a frequent visitor at Arthat church and he liked attending the Sunday service there. Kochi was more like a work place for him. Kozhikode served as both personal and professional landscape for him. He was the familiar face in Malaparamba, Calicut - 9. He will be missed on the roads of KSHB colony. His face and voice will linger in the minds of those people who knew him.
I pay my deepest condolences to his family...
May his good soul rest in peace….
