“Though his smile is gone forever,

And his hand I cannot touch,

I still have so many memories

Of the one I loved so much.

His memory is my keepsake,

With which I’ll never part,

God has him in His keeping,

I have him in my heart.

Dad, we miss you every minute and every day.”

17 years ago I lost my hero, parent, teacher and friend … taken away cruelly by death, without warning, a shock unbearable, a pain that exists even today and cannot be healed.

RVK as he was known was the first born in an affluent family but was thrust into poverty and destitution. Brought to Mumbai as child, he was brought up in a household which had to struggle for every meal. In spite of all these hurdles, he strived hard to excel in his education whilst at the same time tutored others and helped students achieve their academic goals. Getting two postgraduate degrees whilst supporting a young family and elderly parents was no mean task. With the help and support of my mum who stood by him, he achieved so much in his field of Physics and later on in Astrophysics. Completing his doctrate was the crowning glory of his academic achievements and a long awaited dream come true.

He shared his immense knowledge of Physics and Maths with all his grateful students and I can say proudly I was one of them. It was a privilege to be in the classroom watching him explains all the intricacies of pure science in his unique way pacing up and down the stage. He was proud of each and everyone of his students – that was the kind of person he was. He enjoyed spreading his knowledge of the science of the universe and proudly watched it grow through the many who learnt from him. Another big achievement was his appointment as first non Catholic Vice Principal in Jesuit run institution… what a huge honour it was to be asked to head the science division of the prestigious St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai.

Apart from physics, he had many passions – history, movies, travel, walking, love of animals especially cats, classical music (both indian and western), drawing and water colours. He was an amazing artist but never really explored the talent. He has passed on some of his loves and talents to his grandchildren who always attribute these passions to their beloved Ajja.

Not a day passes when I don’t see a bit of him emerging in our lives whether in discussions about some science fiction movie or some event in history. I see him in my children and feel so lucky that he was my Dad and they got to know him in some way which has influenced their future.

We miss you Dad ❤