So very simple and yet so touching and full of affection. You were lucky to have such beautiful parents
On Sat, 6 Mar 2021 at 13:11, Pratap Naik <pratapnai...@gmail.com> wrote: > PRANK ON MY PAPA > Today 06th March, is the 16th death anniversary of my papa Edwin Lawrence > Carvalho (24.02.1920 – 06.03.2005). He died at Pune but interred at Kalina > Church, Santa Cruz East, Bombay. He lived 42 years in Bombay (now Mumbai) > and loved it. He didn’t want to leave it, till I persuaded him to settle > down at our home. > I have many interesting anecdotes related to my papa. Today I will share > with you an interesting prank that I played on him as a boy while studying > in second standard. My papa was working in Bombay. My mama was living at > our newly adopted village Gangolli (South Kanara district then) with me, my > younger sister Genevieve and brother Valerian (the other two siblings > Florine and John were not yet born). Papa came for holidays once in two > years for 21 or 22 days. From Bombay he traveled by train to Miraj by broad > gauge, changed the train to metre gauge up to Harihar. From Harihar he > travelled by bus to Kundapura. Then crossed the broad river of Gangolli and > walked 600 metres to reach our home. It took him three days of tiring > journey one way. While going it was the worst. From Harihar to Bombay he > travelled without reservation in general compartment, at times standing day > and night!!! > When he came down for holidays, he brought us delicious cakes from Parsi > bakeries, Mumbai halva, variety of biscuits, cloth to stich clothes and > many other things. We were longing for his arrival. The communication was > only through inland letters of Indian post office. I posted mama’s letters > to papa and brought home our mail which was kept by the postman at Imam > Saheb’s grocery shop (Our house was away from the main road and the postman > refused to deliver our mail at home, so he was told to keep the letters at > the grocery shop) I had learnt the art and skill to read his letters to > mama and mama’s letter to him without opening them and without the > knowledge of mama! Those days inland letters partially could be read from > the side openings. Though I knew the content of their correspondence (no > romanticism but simple language to communicate the news), I pretended that > I am totally unaware of the content. I am confessing this act of mine for > the first time. > When I was studying in second standard papa came from Bombay. One morning > he told my mother that he would his visit parents and close relatives at > Kundapura and return in the evening. My mother jokingly said, “Fine. You > come for holidays from Bombay. Where can I go for holidays? Today I will go > to visit my parents at Trasi (6.5Km from our home), spend a night and > return tomorrow morning.” Papa at once retorted and said, “You can’t do > that, I have come out of love all the way from Bombay. You visit your > parents, when I return back. Besides, who will cook and take care of our > children?” Mama coolly replied, “About food, you need not worry. I will > cook the food and go. Children will stay at home during the day. At night > you take care of them.” “I know that you are joking and would not dare to > do such a thing.” papa said and left for Kundapura. > In the evening around 5pm mama went to our neighbour’s home. From far away > I saw papa coming home. I knew that papa loved my mama beyond words. He > wanted her physical presence at home all the time when he came down for > holidays. He was never tired to see her lovely face and to hear voice. I > called my sister and told my plan of prank to her and to tell papa that > mama has gone to Trasi to see her parents. Valerian was slow in speech then > and he did not learn to speak in words but only through hand gestures. I > instructed him too. I warned both of them not to reveal the truth, > otherwise I will punish them. They agreed out of fear. > When papa arrived, I served him coffee. He enquired about mama. I said that > she has gone to Trasi. He didn’t believe me. He asked my sister; she too > said the same thing. He asked my younger brother. He too said the same > through his hand gestures. But papa was not ready to accept our version. He > thought that mama is hiding somewhere in the house. He searched the entire > home. He could not find her. He thought that she must be hiding on the > house loft where we were stocking hay for the cattle. He asked me to bring > the torch (we didn’t have electricity at home and used kerosene oil lamps). > I gave him the torch. He asked me to hold the bamboo ladder and he climbed. > I too climbed the loft. He searched for mama on the loft and inside the > bales of hay. She was not there. Then once again he asked me, “Has really > mama gone to Trasi?” With a sad face and a low voice, I told him, “In the > morning mama told you that she would go to grandparent’s home for a day. > She left after preparing the food. You don’t worry. Let us say the angelus, > rosary, and night prayers. Then we shall have our supper before going to > sleep.” He began to sob like a child and said something like this, “Why did > she do this to me? I have come all the way from Bombay. Now how shall we > spend the night without her?” Like an actor I was consoling him but he was > crying like a child. At that moment, mama returned home. She was not aware > about my prank. Valerian and Genevieve told her that papa has come and > searching for her. Hearing her voice, papa said to me, “You little rascal, > all of you told me a lie and made me to shed tears.” Mama then joined us > and said, “I should have gone to Trasi, I made a mistake”. We children > narrated the whole episode to mama about our prank and all of us laughed to > our hearts’ content. Such was papa’s love for mama, though theirs was the > arranged marriage (03.01.1946). They had not seen each other, till one of > the relatives of papa asked him to see my mama barely a week before the > marriage. Their love for each other and for us children was really > remarkable and exemplary. > Papa, on your death anniversary bless me, my siblings and all those who > were dear and near to you when you were alive. Now continue to remain > cheerful and active as before, till I hopefully join your company. > Pratap Naik sj >