Kennedy

Kennedy, no not JFK, but our very own indigenous Tamil anna; our Tamil friends are unique and they adopt the names of dignitaries from across the globe, naturally it is a mark of respect for the country in question as also the person. We have quite a few of them, Stalin for example. Can you imagine any Russian naming his kid Stalin? But our DMK patriarch apparently felt that naming his progeny after the Russian dictator was a testimony to Indo-Russian friendship. Or maybe he wanted to prove his communist credentials and did not want to leave anything to chance. Anyway, the naming of our politicians can be suitably discussed some other time. So it was friend Kennedy we were discussing, this man is a driver; that is his job, so to say, but he is a walking encyclopaedia on Wellington, Coonoor in particular and the Nilgiris in general.  He can give you a biography of Sam Bahadur, Fd Marshall Manekshaw giving out each minute detail including his  shopping in the Connor market. His disappointment with the govt of the day at ill treating this great general during his last days has been commented on by Mr Nitin Gokhale also. Any queries relating to the possessions of real estate by the rich and famous and he has the answers from Narayan Murthy to Azim Premji, Nandan Nilekeni to MJ Akbar. When the IT czars are here can the bollywood stars be far behind? The bollywood also has some cottages tucked away, Rekha is said to be the recipient of one from the Big B during their lovey-dovey days. Even Amir is said to own one here. The glitterati obviously keep these possessions a closely guarded secret, away from the prying eyes of the paparazi. They have been inspired by our mythology and revert to the Agyatwas (in cognito) of the Mahabharata days, whenever they wish to get away from the hustle and bustle of their rather hectic lifestyle, with literally no time to stand and stare.

But getting back to our friend Kennedy, his expertise is not restricted to matters of real estate holdings alone, he has the memory of an elephant with respect to the senior hierarchy in the military brass as well. He was recruited in the early eighties, I feel that is the more appropriate term rather than employed, (as recruitment is normally associated with military recruits and he is half military as it is, serving here at the DSSC) and since the days of Sunderji, he recalls chauffeuring each Chief of each service. Not just this he even knows their regimental affiliations and the year of their visit quite distinctly. I had the pleasure of being chauffeured by him recently, when I had the privilege of being detailed as the protocol officer to Mr Azim Premji and had to receive him in his own little cottage here in Coonoor. It was a surprise for me, that he owned a dwelling right here, and then my friend Kennedy having realized that I was an ignoramus; decided to educate me on the happenings in Nilgiris.

But Kennedy is one of a type, uniquely gifted with the grey cells which are a storehouse and wealth of information. Ranga, is a name, most psc officers of the bygone era would be familiar with. The khaki clad postman was another such encyclopaedia, who would rattle out your locker number on seeing you and confirming your mail or otherwise for each course, on and on till he breathed his last. He was an institution! Another person comes to my mind with similar traits, Shuklaji of Srinagar Transit Camp. I would often joke with friends that the militants only need to get hold of this man and they would have not only our exact order of battle in J & K but also the details of officers in each unit, including their leave destinations, duration, Temporary duties, courses. Please remember half the Indian Army is there in the valley and the sheer number of officers transiting any day is mind boggling.  Incidentally both these individuals have moved on the other world. This unique ability of these individuals is because they are extraordinarily gifted and also because they really enjoyed what they did. How I wish we could  emulate and imbibe this  passion....