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| Hermes Park, Pune, where Rajan stayed. |
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| Rajan's Yamaha C-80 classical guitar. |
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| Photos of Rajan and his parents. |
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| Rajan's books. |
- Brian Mendonca
We spent some beautiful moments this afternoon visiting Rajan's room in Pune. We were invited by Anita, his sister-in-law, who lived across the corridor.
I had visited Rajan's room long ago. He had shown me his LP record collection and we listened to Brahms.
Somehow some of that ambience lingered. The place where I made some space to sit, and the quiet silence of the room, where I think he played a piece on the piano.
Rajan was a man of many parts. He was a musician, a scholar, a teacher, and a traveller. In all these attributes he was like me. We shared a lot because of our common interests.
As I sifted through his books, I saw how versatile a reader he was. The cartons he brought back from his years teaching at the Department of English in the University of Baroda, contained titles that were inclusive as well as eclectic.
What he could not purchase -it seemed - he photocopied. Teaching at University level required him to be well-read to guide his students.
From several volumes of Cicero, to a volume of Latin American plays; from the selected non-fiction of Borges to a still shrink-wrapped copy of women's writing, I found old friends who often cropped up in our conversations.
I found myself mentioned in the acknowledgements of his book The Self and the Sonnet published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing house in 2010.
On the bottom of his bunk bed lay his precious Yamaha C-80 classical guitar in a solid case. Dusty under the bridge, the piece had a good tone. I was happy for the person it would be bequeathed to. Several photocopies of sheet music for classical guitar pieces lay carefully wrapped in a packet in a carton.
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| Anita, Queenie, and Brian in Anita's house. |
His photo beside his parents seemed to be laughing at you - at the ridiculousness of life. 'Vanity of vanity, all is vanity,' says the preacher from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible.
Rajan left a legacy, in his life, the way he lived, and the way he shared himself with others. His simplicity touched many.
Perhaps he may still be seen cycling along his beloved streets of Pune, a faded satchel round his waist.
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Photos by Brian Mendonca. Top on 31/12/25 and above on 1/1/26. Updated 1/1/26. Location courtesy Anita Barrett.
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