Sahab, Madam,
I would have been in fifth standard when we first moved to the servant quarters in Humayun Road upon Sahab’s appointment as a Member of Parliament. It was a giant leap for my family. Shifting to a bigger house with a garden just around the corner and a driveway so long, that was too much space for me to handle. I was overjoyed.
I liked seeing you leave for office every morning. Dressed in semi-formal attire, often times donning a kurta, exuberating the epitome of a man as you reached out to your equally lux and juggernaut of a vehicle the ‘Terracan’. I remember how you played with ‘Loin and Bou’ before entering the SUV. Loin, who appeared a prodigal child in your presence, was also the first one to welcome you at night. And amid this mid morning routine, Madam was always there accompanying you.
We have grown up watching you and Madam from the Humayun Road resident to the home in Feroz Shah road. My father, Mahesh Ram, used to tell us stories about your accomplishments in the media, about how the senior leaders and politicians were worried about being “penned down” by you and that is how I’ve tried to embibe whatever little I could learn from you.
Today, when I look back, I realise how blessed my family and I have been. The point of saying all this today is to tell you how big and positive impact you have had upon us and how grateful I am to you and Madam, though I cannot be grateful enough, for what you’ve given to us in all these years.
(The writer, a young son of Dr Chandan Mitra’s driver, had started to pen a letter to The Pioneer’s Editor, but before he could finish it, Dr Mitra left for heavenly abode)