Hira-da


We were very young almost 13 years ago when Hira-da joined as our driver. He was assigned to dad by Hyderabad Industries ltd. when he joined that company. Soon he became the best driver we had had. He knew roads and by-lanes and gullies in every part of calcutta. We discovered that he even had a photographic memory. He remembered someone's house we went to months ago and we only had to tell him ,"hirada, do you remember that place we went to the other day? you know in so and so area?... yes yes she is my aunt, yes, please take us there."
We could sit in the car looking out the window, not worried about giving direction because we knew we didn't have to.
With time he became more than our driver, he was trusted to help our grandparents in case we went on vacation. When ma left for the US, he had to take over a lot of her duties, like paying bills, helping the grannies with their bank work or taking them to relative's places. When dad was away at work he even had to take one of my grandmothers to the hospital because she had fallen ill. When my dad couldn't come out of a meeting Hirada would go and visit her at the hospital.
I used to go back home on vacations and try to steal hira-da away from dad, so I could go visit my friends.
Hira-da had been a soul of discretion, in cars we have fought and screamed and joked and laughed and talked about things that always stayed in the car.
Hira-da was in his early 40's when on the 30th of september 2010 he passed away in a tragic accident. He fell off a crowded train while going back home from work. My parents were called by the police at midnight and they had to go and identify him at the hospital because they couldn't get in touch with his family.
All of us who knew him, loved him. Everyone knew that life without Hira-da is unimaginable, I do not think anyone is as indispensible as him in our family. He was not a driver, he was a part of our family. And all we hope is that he knew how much he meant to all of us. We hope he did not suffer too much pain. We hope he was happy that day. Because he did not deserve to go that way.
Hira-da will always be in our hearts and will be missed everyday.
Rest in peace Hira-da.

Comments

Ninj said…
The past few days over and over again we have reminisced about Hirada. All the little things that we never thought meant so much seems to have taken a life of their own. For us it was never “waiting for the car,” or “garita pathiye dao,” or “the car is waiting at the station/ airport to pick us up” but always “waiting for Hirada” or “hirada ke pathiye dao” etc. He would be discreet and kept a distance, at the same time he knew he was close enough to joke or scold. For example, when we went to Kolkata for your wedding, Raxi, Mummum and I got off the plane about the same time and Hirada was inside the airport waiting with you and Babai and he said, “sabaikei sakale sahib er sathey lake e morning walk e jete hobe dekhchhi” or when Sudipto went to India without me, he told Sudipto sternly while taking him to the airport, “porer baar kintu didike chhara ashben na.” Sudipto remembers endless chats with him when the two of them went out, especially getting drenched and wading in over knee-deep water to go to pick up food on the evening of your Sangeet/ mehendi/ Aiburobhaat. And Sudipto came to marry me in Hiradas car and he drove me to my Shashur –bari as a new bride. By your wedding, Raxi, he had become so much more indispensible that it was not possible to have his car all flowered up and be of limited function. Remember, the day after I reached Kolkata we went to the big haldiram near Gurusaday Road but there was no Kulfi there? I had promised you and Hirada kulfi. Before I left, we went back for the kulfis and got them. Did not think it was imp, people can get kulfis a dime a dozen but somehow, I am glad that I did. Thanks Raka, for writing about Hirada. His passing was a reminder of how much we take for granted.
October 4, 2010 at 5:39 PM
Deepanjana said…
we don't even have a picture of him. Babai only has a partial view of him in the car when he took pictures of the new car.
October 5, 2010 at 5:23 PM
Ninj said…
There my be one from my biye....but those are of course not digital and I do not have a scanner. That's why I said, we never thought that we will need a picture of Hirada. He was supposed to be there.
October 6, 2010 at 4:36 AM
Kuntala said…
Raka, amar somobedona roilo.
October 6, 2010 at 4:55 AM
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