The Sailor Man - Part 2.

(Dedicated to my father Captain. Ajoy K. Chatterjee --29th November 1955 to 16th March 2011)

So it’s been over a year since I wrote The Sailor Man – Part 1, a memoir dedicated to my father. As I was going through the last part of my voyage with the sailor man I realised how much I miss him in my life and what life has become for me after him. My family and my friends  ask me sometimes as to when the 2^nd part of Sailor Man would be out. To this I always stayed mum as I believed that the day it would come out would be like a gift to my father. So it’s November 29^th 2015 which according to and for me is a historic date as on this day today the Sailor man would have turned 60. There wouldn’t have been any better day for this.So the Sailor Man – My Papai was so kind hearted that he never believed in harming anyone for any reason whatsoever. My father believed in peace and harmony as I never saw him angry on anyone but there was a day I remember when he was furious and was even prepared to use violence, that day was holi. One can think as to why a man so calm and composed lost his cool in an auspicious festive day as holi. The story goes on like this that on the day of holi the children of the colony had this habit of playing colours among themselves but after getting bored used to trouble the passerby’s, so with one person the “Bura na maano Holi hain “ concept didn’t go down well and he took a brick and threatened us, to which my father who was standing far away with a few neighbours shouted out loud, hurled him with abuses and approached for a physical fight at which the man stood petrified and left peacefully. He was scared for me. I miss my hero.He never encouraged that I should be violent but I am not as great as him as I do use physical force on people sometimes when I am angry. I disappoint him in this regard as I don’t tend to forgive people as he used to. This is the reason perhaps  that I have been unable to inculcate certain aspects of life which he used to lead. There was so much to learn from him.Coming back to My Papai – the Sailor Man was a person who was very down to Earth. I still remember how excited he was when he bought his first bike which was a hero Honda Splendour+  which for our generation is  not a  so happening bike as it is the generation for Royal Enfield and other super bikes. He could have bought any of these bikes easily but for him style about such things didn’t matter much as he was himself one of the most stylish and charming personalities around. He used to roam around on his bike around the city like a free bird always wearing his black helmet and sunglasses which were very precious to him.I miss the moments he used to scold me for not wearing my helmet. I miss the moment when he bought me my first bike. I asked him to ride my bike for the first time to which he was very excited and took the bike straight to hanuman mandir to seek the blessings of the almighty. The voyage with him might  have been short but was memorable.My Papai always talked about my grandfather and how he admired him. He showed me the way he used to comb his hair. It was the way he used to tell of how my grandfather as a lawyer was which inspired me of becoming one. It would have been so nice if my father could see me pursuing the same profession as his father. He used to tell me a story often about how my grandfather instead of taking fees from a Milk vendor accepted milk and other milk products to which my grandmother was very angry. I never got a chance to be with my grandfather and also my grandmother {as I was a toddler at the time they died} but there absence was filled by my maternal grand-parents whom I loved so much. I do miss them both as they were the definition of sweetness and care for me. Whenever the sailor man was on voyage they used to take care of my mother, me and my brother. My grand-parents had immense respect and love for my father as he was like a second son to them. My father too considered them as his parents and did everything which he could in his limits to keep them happy and smiling.I as a kid was very enthusiastic for cricket and to support me with it always was my father who never stopped me or demoralised me. He even played with me and showed how good a leg spinner he was. He used to watch with me all the cricket matches and even the 2007 twenty20 world cup which India had won was a great time we had cheering for our team with my mother by our side. 4 years later when he left us , our country again won the world cup in that month only. I missed him and even cried that moment realising that we wouldn’t be celebrating again.I never was able to understand why god took him away from us. I always console myself by saying that God took him because all the good people, pure of heart stay with god and advise him on various matters for the betterment of this world.My aim in life is to do everything which my father stood for which was sheer humanity and doing well for other people. I want to make my father proud and I will. No one can stop me. I will always make my mother happy and will make her smile as my father did. I will always take care of my brother . I will be there for each and every friend of mine till the end.I miss my Sailor man. I miss my Papai. I miss that funny grin on your face. I miss the way you moved your ears without touching them. I miss the efforts you made for your friends 24X7. I miss the way you used to tackle every situation with so much patience and composure.  I miss the way you used to make fun of both of your elder sisters by irritating them like a small kid. I miss the way you cared. I miss the way you were. You are still alive in our hearts and your legacy will be there forever which will be kindness and humanity.I love you Papai and Mumma. Happy Birthday PAPAI.From

Your little blossom Poni JPRONOY CHATTERJEEP.S - ( There will be a part 3 of this amazing voyage for sure as there is so much more to tell )