Humanity, an unceasing river

In the end it all comes down to kindness Murli Deora was one of the kindest men Irsquove known a rare attribute in these times almost unheard of in a politicianBack in the days when I first got to know him in the early eighties as a rookie reporter for the now defunct Bombay Magazine the standing joke in the edit room was that if anyone powerful or ordinary man or woman old or young advantaged or disadvantaged even began to utter a sentence about some personal or professional woe within Murlirsquos earshot he would be immediately seized upon by the politician coaxed into revealing all and then before he even knew it from that moment on his problem or woe had become that of Deorarsquos no questions asked Murli wouldnrsquot rest until hersquod solved itHe did this with no agenda no thought of reward or return mostly anonymously and often unasked And when you reminded him or alluded to his act of altruism hersquod blush as if caught redhanded fidget awkwardly and change the subjectWhether it was standing by a lost and defeated Indira Gandhi in her darkest days or arranging to have a slum child operated on by a leading doctor it was all the sameHis humanity was a palpable unceasing river Everyone was included No one was turned awayFarewell with state honoursThey were all there to bid Murli Deora farewell last evening at the Chandanwadi where he was cremated with full state honours Some like the Gandhis Sonia Rahul Priyanka and Robert Vadra Mukesh and Anil Ambani Praful Patel Prithiviraj Chavan and Piyush Goyal and Neeraj Bajaj sitting respectfully through the ceremonyMurli Deora with Sonia GandhiOthers like Nita Ambani paying her condolences at the Deora residence and still others like PM Narendra Modi calling the Deoras on the phone to say how he would personally miss Murli and how much he regarded him ldquoHe was a national leaderrdquo the PM is reported to have said to Hema ldquoand my friendrdquo Only recently the two had shared a warm exchange at the Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital launchThe Deoras with George W BushThey were all there the high and mighty the unknown and ordinary the forgotten and the friendlessIn some way Murli Deora had touched all their lives given them some hope and shown them some kindnessIn the end it all comes down to kindness Murli Deora was easily one of the kindest men Irsquove known A rare attribute in these times almost unheard of in a politicianRIP MurlibhaiTherersquos a great hole in Mumbairsquos heart which you once occupiedA sweetness and decencyMost people who are good and kind run the risk of being earnest bores Not so Murli Urbane sophisticated smart with a quick wit and easy laugh he was an absolute riot to be with irreverent and unassuming he took no one seriously least of all himself He told the best anecdotes was an exceptional observer of human character loved nothing more than a great story and laughed most at himselfMurli Deora with Rajiv GandhiIt was easy to see why he had been such a good friend of Rajiv Gandhi though they came from such different backgrounds and in many ways epitomised the cityrsquos they lived in both of them shared a sweetness and an untrammelled decencyWhen I called on her last evening after the state funeral at Chandanwadi Hema spoke of the many times when Murli stayed up all night worrying about the safety or health of people he hardly knew ldquoEven two days ago when he could hardly speak he would indicate to me that the night nurse should be allowed to leave early lsquoShe has to travel so far by trainrsquo he said to me I am privileged and humbled to have shared my life with such a manrdquoQuintessentially a MumbaikarThere will be many who will tell you of Murlirsquos astonishing rise in the political firmament A young political aspirant from a middleclass Marwari family who had received a scholarship to travel to America and meet Robert Kennedy he ascended from being one of Mumbairsquos youngest mayors to a corporator the chief of the Bombay Regional Congress Committee and a longserving MP of the allimportant South Mumbai constituency to the longest serving Union Minister for PetroleumMurli Deora inspecting the guard of honourWhat they might not tell you was how in many ways he always remained an idealist a dreamer an optimist someone who genuinely subscribed to the belief that politicians serve the people and must have to work for the common good someone who even as he rode the wave of ministerial success and the Congress era of political power never forgot his humble roots or the city of his birthIn many ways Murli Deora was quintessentially a Mumbaikar From the elegant confines of his art and booklined home at Peddar Road to the dusty lanes of Girgaum and Walkeshwar from windy evenings at his beloved Breach Candy Club where he hosted some of the cityrsquos most coveted soirees to the back lanes of Dharavi there was little he did not know or engage with in the city few corners where his presence had not made a difference few streets which he had not impacted in some way or the otherHe mixed it all up gave of himself unstintingly and in the words of Rudyard Kiplingrsquos immortal words in his poem ldquoIf he could walk with kings nor did he lose the common touchrdquoWith Hema a universe of loveNo tribute to Murli would be complete without talking about Hema in pic his artistic bridge champion wife who had dedicated her life to his love and care The two though on the surface very different she was softspoken where he was exuberant she was calm where he was excitable etc the two shared common values of grace kindness and humanityThe Deora family PicslsquoUnder the streetlightrsquo by Hema DeoraIn Hema Murli had found the perfect companion one who understood his passion for politics his untiring concern for people and their wellbeing and the many times he could not be there to spend time with his familyWith Murli Hema created a universe of love and grace in which their two sons Mukul and Milind along with Milindrsquos wife Pooja lived and worked in an atmosphere of support and respect each a strong individual and yet so respectful of the others space and boundariesThe immense love and respect she has for Murli is abundantly evident through the pages of the book she compiled of their life together lsquoUnder the Street Lightrsquo ldquoFor me Murli was a simple young man born in a traditional middleclass Marwari family struggling through his life while trying to make his dreams come trueWhen I say dreams it was not only political stature but also an innate desire to go out of his way to help as many people as he could I can vouch that he is truly a friend in need and a silent philanthropist toordquo she says in its foreword