Kershasp's 70'th Birthday, 17 September 2019

Hootoksi Tyabji, Shaker Heights, Cleveland, 17 September 2019

Memories and love are winging their way into a book to celebrate your 70th birthday my darling bro...

What happy childhoods we had in our nest at Nepean Sea Road, short, because I went off to PCK, but oh so very sweet! I have drawn on these anecdotes often in the years that we have lived far away from each other, and they always warm my heart and make me smile. Remember...

Acrobatics, hanging & stretching on the bar in your bedroom, bucket baths, filling up the tub with water, Blue Da nu be, drinking falooda on Navroze, milk baths and sagans on birthdays;

Visits to the fire temple on Papeti/Navroze and to granny’s afterwards.

Enjoying music together on our “stage” with mum at the piano and all the family playing some percussion instrument. Shehernavaz playing the accordion and you on your guitar!

Goradier and his longing for a white sharkskin suit, Bouncy Baby, Dhunjoo Aunty, Dhun Mehta donning his solar topi, Khushroo Chinoy singing the French National Anthem, Cathy’s wedding and her oft-repeated refrain “Don’t be a big landlord!.”

Mama in her yellow and pink shorts saying, \”Pencil telephone table per nahi mukso taw tamaro haath tori karas!”, Dad telling us to “Start walking” when we begged him to take us to America, Mum at the piano practicing her scales with “It’s a lovely day today.”

Driving around in our old Consul car to see the lights on Republic Day, and singing “Daisy, Daisy, It’s a long way to Tiperari” and other old favorites at the top of our voices!

Sharing your room with papa and caring for him with so much love.

Weekends at Aksa and summer holidays with our grandparents in Bangalore where we ate almond cake and boiled sweets, were spoiled by Esther & Loga, went to Cubbon Park in Ma’s Vauxhall and to the Bowring Club where we enjoyed seeing dances around a May Pole.

You made history at 3 when you decided you did not like any of the clothes on offer for school, so you walked out of the house unnoticed and naked, clutching your lunchbox and water bottle on your way to Kindergarten. It was a kindly neighbor who called mum to alert her that her son was out and about on the street, NAKED!!!!

Do you remember puking all over the Governor’s table in Bangalore? Mum told us to eat everything on offer without a fuss, so you did, shoveling the fruit you detested into your mouth, swallowing it whole. The mango protested, and out it came together with all your lunch!!!

Your dreams of becoming a surgeon if you ever had them, were dashed the day you operated on my favorite doll, Lazy Suzy. You cut her open and pulled out all her stuffing leaving me scared forever!!!!

You knocked me down from the top berth in a train going to Bangalore and I hit myself on an old whirring railway fan, narrowly missing my eye. You also made me climb ma’s mango tree so you could stand on my shoulder to pick the fruit. You lost your balance but clung to a branch, I went crashing onto the neighbor’s chicken coup and had to have several stiches on my head!

In spite of all that sibling abuse you are the brother I adore, who is always there for me. You are my “Mithasi Makoro” (who gave you that title?,) respected and loved.

May the years ahead be good to you and may you live your life with joy and equanimity so that the kindness and compassion that you have shown others all your life comes back to you a 1000-fold.

Love always,

Hootoksi

Message from Robert

Hi there Kay, here’s wishing you a super 70’th ! You have now earned yourself a Life Membership to the exclusive Club of the Senior-most Elders of the Clan.

I imagine our Friendship has endured the test of time, having known each other for at least 46 years, long enough to cement the relationship in perpetuity.

I fondly remember that camping trip the three of us made way back (1974, wasn’t it?), when you showed me the wonders of highway travel in the US, camping in the national parks, how to make a call from a public phone, and ragtime jazz in New Orleans. I continued learning stuff from you: about Idaho Potatoes, upstate New York, motorboating, tubeing, and some of the finer elements of creative accounting.

All that aside, you have played an invaluable role of adviser and Mamoo-guide to Michel, Farhad and Adil while their parents rolled through life in remote and unpronounceable places. In particular, I am deeply indebted for your and Judy’s caring support to our sons Michel and Farhad when they first arrived in the US.

So, here we are, brothers-in-law, a few years and thousands of miles apart, yet to me closer than ever on this important day. May you enjoy the day extravagantly and stay well and happy in the weeks, months and years ahead.

With love always,

Robert