The Jaguar from Chaibasa

Till Ma was around, she was such a larger-than-life force in our family that a lot of attention and energy naturally went to her. But after her passing, I became even closer to Dadu. I’d always been close to him, but something shifted after she was gone.

When I came back from the US, I’d often take two-day trips just to see him—sometimes surprising him, sometimes letting him know. But we’d spend every minute together in his room, just chatting and hanging out.

I got to know him in a whole new way, and it was incredibly special to me.

One thing that had always bothered me about him was his love for these beautiful cars that he never drove. On one of those last trips, I asked him, “Dadu, you bought this gorgeous Jag, but you’ll never drive it. What’s the point?”

He got quiet, and then this smile slowly spread across his face. He said, “For the little kid from Chaibasa, giving myself that meant everything.”

-Chinu