Death of Two Friends - R.P.Donde

In a span of just a month, I lost two of my best colleagues, P. Laxminarayan (Laxmi for me) from Nagpur and Ramphal Sharma from Delhi. Both deaths were totally sudden and unexpected. Laxmi died after a brief illness on 6 September and Ramphal of dengue on 8 October 2013, sickness not lasting for more than 2/3 days! Both were younger to me, may be by 8 to 10 years.  Although I had not spoken to Laxmi for long, it did not matter. We were friends and comrades forever. (I think I met him last when I visited Nagpur for attending a meeting of the local Retired Employees Association a year and half or two earlier.) Ramphal, I had not met for over two decades. He left All India Association work after I retired from the General Secretaryship of the AIRBSO Association in 1992, telling me that he had no interest left after my exit. I do not remember to have met him thereafter. On a visit to Delhi in 2010, I could not visit his house for some reasons although I had gone to his colony. He was obviously hurt and, justifiably, very angry and even refused to take my calls thereafter. Whenever I phoned to his residence, his wife took phone; I could hear him telling her to say he was not at home. And suddenly one day last year, I heard his voice on my mobile, calling me as usual, as, ‘Bade Bhai’, so familiarly as if he had spoken to me a day earlier. I was very thrilled; we talked for long, not mentioning the sad misunderstanding that had occurred earlier. We were in contact thereafter off and on. His last phone call was just 10 days prior to his demise. He congratulated me for the Association’s letter to Governor, Dr. R.G. Rajan on our visit to him. He told me that he had taken copies of the letter and distributed among retirees. Laxmi, huge bodily, although a South Indian by birth, was a pucca Nagpurian in his demeanour, with pan in his mouth and carrying a ‘pan dabba’ in his hand for all time. His faultless Hindi had Nagpurian accents. He had received a Doctorate from Nagpur University and was close to academicians in the city.  Ramphal was 100 percent Harianvi, in his behavior and Hindi, which many times a Mumbaikar like me found it difficult to understand fully. However, I had noticed that during our discussions with Governors and Deputy Governors, they used to enjoy and listen carefully his Harianvi Hindi and even his Harianvi English. My both these friends till their last remained loyal to me. Laxmi was very happy when I was transferred to Nagpur in 1995. He saw to it that our stay at that centre was comfortable. He was Secretary of the city’s Bankers Club. He arranged many functions of the Club and invited me, so that I could get myself well acquainted with the local bankers. He was, in fact, very partial as far as my wife and my self were concerned. Many a time, on visit to Delhi, I preferred to stay at Ramphal’s home. His household considered me as ‘Tau’ (elder uncle in the house). Ramphal was then influential person in political circles of Delhi. He was as good as a member of the household of Kumarmangalams. Because of him we could get Late Shri P.R. Kamarmangalam as our Patron, who used his influence to get 60 years as age of retirement for the officers of Reserve Bank. Ramphal steadfastly supported me on the issue of introduction of pension scheme in the Bank. If my soul happens to meet my friends’ souls after my death, I shall certainly question them, ‘While living you never thought of overtaking me, then why in death?’ 

- R.P.Donde