Vasant Mama......29thMarch2019

Vasant Mama

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before!

The voice of Sir Patrick Stewart  as Captain Jean-Luc Picard at the beginning of each episode of Star Trek ....

Much before being tied down with Amita,my role model of what I aspire to be growing old was portrayed in toto by this man of space,who still continues to be my role model.I didnt realise that there was a split image of my hero in another man till he flew past us a few days back.

Amita's maternal grandmother's  youngest brother , Sri Vasant Mokashi ,who was the Regional Passport Officer ,Western region based in Mumbai

Ten years have passed since this malayali tried to get his 'passport' stamped as he walks into a marathi household.Amita had always believed that Kerala was a different 'nation' housing strange people with no semblance of indianness in them.My case was presented before the esteemed passport officer packaged in an ornate way by his ever dutiful son Sandesh. His reputation as an incorruptible gentleman provided little window for me to start my histrionics which every mallu is proficient at.I needed his stamp of approval for the sake of my  wedded life with Amita

The frail gentleman came towards me with the help of a walking stick  , stretched out his hands for me and told me to relax. He looked into my eyes for a fleeting second which seemed to stretch into eons and said....Jay welcome to our family caparisoned with the most beautiful smile. It was an apparition of Captain Picard whom I saw there inviting me into his spaceship....Carpe Diem !!!

Every time I come over to Mumbai, I had to do this cruise with him which seemed more like a time warp. Most of the times the spaceship had to land in Chennai for coffee,which was brought into the ship by his beautiful wife..my Pushpa Mami.She was a living Rapaunzel with her long white tresses almost kissing the floor. Perhaps if she had tied it sideways into a ludicrous bun , she could have conjured up images of princess Leia in the Star Wars movie immortalized by Carrie Fisher. It was perhaps  his love for filter coffee which finally sealed his bond to this enigmatic 'Madrasi' as we southies were ‘fondly’ addressed as. It was just my luck that he didnt find out that though Kerala is the biggest producer of coffee, we are ironically tea drinkers. Off late what we drink is something more 'spiritual' which fills up the dry coffers of the state exchequer.Yeah!! Call us patriots.

My visits to his place became more and more soulful as his voice came through only as whispers .It pleased me more to navigate the ship to the toilet wing ,get his toe nails cut or most often give him complany while having dinner. Sitting there with his calm and smiling countenance,the perfect gentleman, husband and father to his illustrious sons......it seemed that he lived, NO..., living his life like Captain Picard and set forth on another journey on his Enterprise.When I come to dock at your space station one day. you better be prepared to stamp my passport. Aye Aye Captain!!!!!!!!