Famous people whose names we don’t know.

Over the years there have been numerous men and (some) women in the colony who have served us and this is a tribute to them.

The Pavwala – the guy who came every evening on is cycle with a rectangular wooden box at the rear that was covered with a dull rexine sheet that was held in place with a used cycle tyre tube. And 2 bags slung on the handles – he went from building to building knocking on doors and handing out kadak or naram pao and then with the pencil stub that was conveniently placed behind his ear would scribble on the wall outside each house the number of pao given to make his hisab at the end of the month.

The Fruit wallah – especially the old man who would leave his stuff between Carl/Germaine and Frankie /Valus house – he was famous for his Aapus

The Bhelwalla – The thin balding old man who every day would come in with his stuff and serve up probably the best bhel and sev puri that any of us have ever had. He knew who like it spicy and who sweet. Who liked the limbu and who the kairi pieces. He passed on and his son continues to serve albeit not with the same commitment as his father.

The Paper walla – The old man in the pristine white dhoti kurta with black jacket over, and his Gandhi topi

The Channawallas, the Gotwal guy, the salt man (dragging his cart with rock salt), the Venus cake/pattice walla, the jari puranawalla, the “Bhaandiiiiyo” people, the newspaper boys, and more.

Along with these were the guys that probably most of us would know

Mintoo – the cable guy

Ramesh the current cleaner/ garbage collector

His predecessors – the family who lived behind Nirmala Building. As kids they frightened us – the parents straight out of a Gabbar singhish era and sons who ran wild – Raju, Gulab and 2 others (one died early – fell of a tree trying to get a kite)

Sunder Lal and Shyam lal the guys who did the istri – Shyam lal and his son still serve the colony to date.

There are vague memories of the old Nepali type gurkha we had in the 70s who was then followed by Ramsingh who lived on Nirmala terrace.

But of all these- the dearest would be Jessie and her sons especially the younger one Anand Lawrence who till date still delivers our milk religiously every day and with the hereditary wide smile.

Thank you all for making my life comfortable – I only wish I had taken the trouble then, to see you as a person and know you by name.