Thank you all once again for being with us today ... - HeavenAddress

Thank you all once again for being with us today. My name is Ahsas Ranjan, and
I will speak on behalf of my siblings, Vinay, Aarushi and Yash, and our whole
family, in celebrating and remembering our Nana and Papa.
As I am asked to remember my Nana, many things come to mind. First and
foremost, I remember him as a man of morals and principles, strong in his
convictions, and full of love and generosity for his family. I remember his love of
knowledge, and how much is gladdened him to see us succeed in our studies.
No matter what the subject, or how small the test, he would always ask after our
marks – and for us, in turn, nobody’s approval and pride in our achievements
registered as strongly as his. When my brother Vinay began high school, my
Nana would spend a few hours in every visit patiently helping him with Science
homework. Not only did he set aside this time for my brother, he enjoyed it –
showing his love for knowledge, and also his love for us.
His love for knowledge also shone through in his favourite pastime of watching
the evening news. It became a routine whenever Nana came to our house, that
we would automatically have the news channel ready for him. Nor was it enough
to watch the news once – if ABC was done, then what about SBS? What about
Channels Seven, Nine and Ten? Nevermind if the news was the same on each
channel.
I remember him as a man who did not fuss over smaller things like fashion – with
one special exception. I remember his trademark topi, which he believed went
with whatever he wore, much to my Nani’s disapproval.
Even the things he took pleasure in were simple, and even they were shared with
his children and grandchildren. His sweet tooth was his one guilty pleasure,
especially for mangoes. For him, the mango was king of the fruits – a phrase he
never tired of repeating to me, not able to understand why I did not share his love
of mangoes. He loved to go on evening walks, another pastime he shared with
us – Yash and he became walking buddies, going on evening walks together.
He also had a great love of songs. I remember his fondness for Lata
Mangkeshkar, and how tears would spring to his eyes at the sound of her voice.
He shared this love for music with his children and grandchildren. When my
mother was a child, her lullabies were songs from his college era, that he would
sing to her in the evenings. Songs such as “Mere ghar aayi ek nanhi pari”, and
one song he taught my mother that brought him great joy to hear her sing –
“Papa jaldi aa jaana, Saat Samundar Paar se, Guriyon ke bazaar se”. Even now,
every evening he would sing Raghupati Ragbag Raja Ram to both Yash and
Aarushi.
I remember him as a hard-working man, taking enjoyment from his job, which he
left only four years ago, and that too with great reluctance. And although he
never asked for much, he did take great enjoyment in the concept of a senior’s

discount. It was very rare that we went to a place without him asking whether
they offered a senior’s discount – a simple request that when we were young,
caused embarrassment, but was simply endearing and cheeky.
I remember travelling with him and my Nani through Rajasthan, and witnessing
his great love and curiosity for the culture and history of his country. No matter
how much of the world he had travelled in his life, he remained passionate and
inquisitive, especially about India, and his love for India was a powerful message,
even for four children who had grown up here in Australia, such as ourselves.
I remember the other ways in which he showed his love for us. Never once did
he raise his voice or hand at us, always showing patience, love and care. Being
his only granddaughter, Aarushi always held a special place in his heart, and
while he was always concerned whether we had eaten enough, he paid special
attention to whether Aarushi had eaten enough, and that she ate whatever she
liked. Many a times when I was reading, he would be worried about the strain on
my eyes, and insist that I turned on the lights. Even if I insisted I was fine, he
would go and turn on the lights himself. For our parents, he was always there to
lend an ear, hearing problems and entering discussions with an open mind,
always giving unbiased advice and support, and providing a mentor to my Mami
when she first came here from India.
His love and care extended beyond his family, and the presence of all of you
here today is a testament to his love for others, particularly in the Indian
community here. And of course, it is he that we thank for giving us the life we
have here, for moving here so many years ago so that we could lead a wonderful
life – a life made wonderful by his very presence.
We feel very lucky and blessed, that because our grandfather lived with us, we
were able to spend so much time with him, and that he was such a large part of
our childhoods. The time we spent with him will be irreplaceable and
unforgettable. As a family, we thank him for his kindness of heart, for everything
he gave us in his generosity and love. We especially thank him for the biggest
gift he gave us of all, which was the time he spent with each of us.
I will end by reciting a poem in honour of our Nana and Papa, chosen by my
mother:
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,
He called it ... Dad