Meeting with strangers

              

                Inside Sundar Nursery
 

Meeting with strangers

I always love and admire people who have passion for varied fields rather than their professional arena. Today I attended a classical music performance by Kaushiki Chakrabarti. She has established herself with her mellifluous voice, in classical music circuit on her own strength, even though she is daughter of Pandit Ajay Chakrabarti.  Also Rakesh Chourashia, nephew of legendary HariPrasad will be performing in flute. The evening ambience was perfectly set in the lawn of Sri Ram center with  impeccable climate of spring and gentle breeze bringing light fragrance of jasmine and Rajanigandha with which the stage is decorated.

Though the starting time was given 6-30, armed with an invitation card, I reaching the venue 10 mints before. To my dismay, I found the gate closed as already the lawn attained full capacity. In front of the closed iron gate, the waiting crowd swelled. An elderly lady came near the gate pushing the crowd.

She announced  that she is the ‘saga’ mausi of Kusum Sriram, security guard hurriedly opened the gate for her. One gentleman pleaded that his family is already inside, while he was busy in parking his car. Meanwhile a lady came and announced that “gaddas” are being arranged to accommodate people who are waiting. After another anxious five minutes we were allowed to enter.

They arranged few chairs for senior citizens. I sat in one of them. By my side one bearded gentleman was sitting. We were at one extreme corner. I anxiously asked him if we could view artist from here. He was complacent and assure me telling that it is good luck that we are finally in and listening to music is main, for viewing artists, big screen is in front of us. The function started with Rakesh Chourasia’s  flute recital. 

I saw the elderly gentleman flipping his mobile quite often and checking what’s app messages. I could catch name of two three groups, all suggesting bird watcher’s forum. His Mobile screen photo also shows a bird. Like my other hobbies which I enjoy amateurishly, bird watching is also one of them.  But all of that done good 30 years back. I still possess three books (two of them by Salim Ali) and a binocular, but otherwise completely lost touch. 

During the recess we exchanged pleasantries. It is actually me who started the conversation. Yes, he is a avid birder. By profession he is an eminent clinical cardiologist practising for past 45 years. While talking he opened his mask. Doctors are generally cautious! His bearded face resemble with the legendary ornithologist of Indian subcontinent Dr. Salim Ali. I let him know my observation and told him that I have the possession of Ali’s autobiographical book ‘The fall of a sparrow’. His name is Dr. Sudhir Oswal.

He was born and brought up in Delhi and resides in old Delhi’s civil line area. Now he is attached to Delhi Heart and lung institute. He worked in most of the premiere hospitals like Escort Heart, Medant etc. but switched to this hospital as commuting to far off hospitals becoming difficult due to ever increasing traffic snarls. He said he is the founder member of ‘Delhi bird foundation’. Recently he got ‘life time achievement’ for bird and ecology conservation.

He is into nature conservation activity as well. He told me about forest fire in dense western ghat forest in Goa. He was worried about loss of flora and fauna. I also told him about a group who conduct heritage walk in different monuments or garden in Delhi. He shown interest. He told me that he will include me in Delhi bird group forum. I also assured him of making him a member of heritage walk group.

In further conversation he revealed that he is a music buff too. Almost all musicians from Delhi with heart ailment are his patient. He was talking of Hari Prasad Chaurasia who is suffering from central nervous system problem and now rarely perform. He talked about Shiv Kumar Sharma who expired last year due to kidney failure. Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra and few other eminent persons name he dropped who are his patients. He was talking about Birju Maharaj. Sajan Mishra is son in law of Birju Maharaj. I had seen long back kathak performance by one Bengali disciple of Birju Maharaj. I could not recollect her name. Dr. Oswal told me that it must be Saswati Sen. Right he is. It was around 9pm, during the rendition of Kaushiki he left. He told me that next day 5am he has to leave for place near Sultanpur in Haryana to spot a rare bird. Last month he was in a wetland near Jaipur, to watch a nearly extinct species.

“Sabz burj’ the busy round about near Sundar nursery 

Tomorrow afternoon he will go to Sundar nursery near Humayun’s tomb to attend a lecture on history by William Dalrymple and Swapna Riddle.

Selfie -historian William Dalrymple

He has interested in Indian history too. He forwarded me the link for registering in the event. Next day we again met, though we were sitting apart. 

Dr. Oswal must be around 70. It is a pleasure to meet and get acquainted with such a humble and nice personality , who is passionate about flora and fauna, Indian history and culture-exulting full energy and stamina in full throttle, even at this ripe age, apart from his professional commitment. Salute to the spirited personality.

Accidental encounter do happen. Just a week back I went India International centre to watch a Afgan/Iranian instrument and Sufi song of 16th century.

On my way to IIC- Semul flower

I met one lady in the lift. She told me that she is going to second floor to watch an exhibition of paintings of Humayun. I was not aware of it. She said that it is the last day of the exhibition. We went to second floor gallery, but it was not that exhibition which we were looking for. Later on I came to know IIC has three different exhibition halls. By that time we knew each other’s name. Later on I saw her talking to singer after the function. I remembered her name, it is Manjari Sinha. Out of curiosity I googled and came to know she is critic of art and culture column in the news paper Hindu. 

Debadatta 

11/03/2023