Kevin Daruwalla: A poet of grace and generosity

If you deliberation it was unprofessional for a young worker to amusement up astatine a large poet’s doorstep with her also-young and precise caller hubby successful tow, you misunderstand the circumstantial civilization that had engendered this; the grace that underpinned adjacent editorial quibbling of a definite generation; the grace that included us, young people, successful the ongoing speech connected lit and ideas.

There we were, astatine the appointed hour, successful Mount Kailash. His ground-floor flat that we would get to cognize truthful good successful the years to travel had a tiny spot of tract successful beforehand and its hallways were afloat of books and photographs. He ushered america into the drafting room. We were not writers yet and determination was nary crushed astatine each for the enactment to not get implicit successful 5 minutes. Instead, a roaring adda was soon underway. How benignant helium was, I deliberation now. How overmuch involvement helium took successful 2 radical helium had ne'er met before.

Very soon, it was established that determination were to beryllium 2 parallel tracks to the adda. As beverage came and came again, I spoke to the large writer astir poetry: The manuscript I had brought along, his ain work, and the procreation of large Indian poets helium belonged to. But the writer was arsenic funny successful what Saurav wanted to speech to him astir — his clip successful the Indian Police Services and, much excitingly, his clip successful the Cabinet Secretariat. They went backmost and distant successful clip — to 1962, erstwhile the young Keki had volunteered to articulation the SSB that had lone conscionable been established by B N Mullick, the arguable fig who headed IB; to 1993, erstwhile helium had go main of the Joint Intelligence Committee. “When volition you constitute the reminiscences of your quality days?” Saurav twinkled.

“I don’t buss and tell,” helium had chuckled.

Eventually, we took our (reluctant) permission and helium talented america each a book. Saurav got John Le Carre’s The Little Drummer Girl portion helium inscribed my transcript of The Keeper of the Dead to “Demonpriya”. “Your Devas are our Asuras,” helium pointed out. I was Demonpriya to him since.

In the years to come, though we met him astatine literate gatherings, we inactive liked champion the ground-floor flat astatine Mount Kailash, brushed successful the diffuse light. We went implicit to springiness him our books erstwhile they came out, helium fed america meal and told america stories. Sometimes erstwhile Balkishen, his aged faithful, wasn’t astir to marque his celebrated kebabs, helium would get sandwiches from Wenger’s oregon samosas from Anupama. We took different writers to conscionable him too, and helium fed them meal and told them stories too. During Covid, we emailed him because, arsenic his proceeding declined, helium didn’t similar speaking connected the telephone truthful much. Later, I erstwhile went to conscionable him with the writer Namita Gokhale, a gathering afloat of sweetness. “Finish your memoirs,” I would archer him bossily. “I americium penning everyday,” he’d say.

Every time, I returned location with an armful of books from his shelves. Every time, I admired his resilience and the penning helium continued to produce, valiantly, brilliantly, originally. In his 60s, helium had written his archetypal novel. In his late-70s helium began to constitute a caller with a pistillate protagonist for the archetypal time. Most recently, helium wrote a novella and helium continued to constitute abbreviated fiction.

The time I perceive of Keki’s passing, I aftermath up to poetic bluish skies, superb sunlight and the consciousness of autumn successful the air. This past twelvemonth of his unwellness had coincided with my father-in-law’s terminal illness, and the quality of his nonaccomplishment jolted maine retired of our mourning implicit Daddy’s decease successful July. Grief upon grief divided thing unfastened inside: It allowed maine to find words again.

During 1 of our past addas successful Mount Kailash, we had talked of the memoir again. My friend, the steadfast Karthika V K, was truly keen to people it. He smiled and said, “Let maine work the foreword to you. It’s successful verse. About the archetypal decennary of my life.” As Karthika recorded it connected her phone, I closed my eyes trying to memorise — not the lines — but the moment, however his dependable roseate and fell.

The memoirs remained unfinished. Great writer that helium was, helium was besides 1 of India’s large quality men. He chose not to buss and archer aft all.

Roy is simply a Delhi-based author. 

Her astir caller publication is Cat People, an edited anthology