Umi, as we all have always called her, is the pet in the family and I daresay every one has at some time or the other been afraid of her tantrums. No, she is not mad., just plain intellegent, intellectual, well read, has graduated from the Lady Irwins College in Delhi and makes no bones in making you aware of her academic qualifications. Being the only sister in a brood of bullies she learnt early how to fend for herself and hence was always proctectively in the abode of chaiji and papaji, our Parents. She married early, as was customary in the era I am refering to, and it was my sister-in-law (bhabhiji, Raj Kapoor's wife) and me who played cupid and drove the just engaged couple in my Buick convertible, to a nearby mini hill spot called Khandala for a tete-e-tete. The end result was marriage, and she setup house with her husband, Charanjit Sial, at Nagpur. The years ahead were very productive and took shape in the form of three daughers and the youngest, after many a trial and tribulation and with great hope, prayers and blessings from all, a son.
UMI
& CHARNI Charni's love for the road knew no bounds. Born in a coalmine
owners family in Nagpur, he grew up in a rough environment. After the
demise of his father, and especially after the Government takeover of
the the coalmines, he looked after his family. As is usual in rich
joint families, the eldest brother took the cream of the properties
and it was Charni who continued to work the Soapstone factories which
he had setup near Jabbulpur and Udaipur, and settled his other
brothers and sisters so that they were not dependent on him. He
always beleived that he could take care of whatever he was involved
in and thus spent most of his time travelling between the different
sites he excavated. There were many trips he took to Bombay from
Nagpur via Shirdi Sai Baba place of worship and his car travels were
something to reckon with. His reconnoitring the jungles and forests
where his mines were located lead to a fondness for the outdoor life,
and in this there was a common bond between us. We spent many a
fortnight in the jungles every year, out on some big game shoot or in
the Kashmir valley troutfishing, duck shooting or boozing in a
shikara all night on the Dal lake.
He died a young man of 60 on 31-12-93, having the previous night
celebrated his wife's 60th birthday.
