From Fan To Best Friend To Brother!
Shravan Vasa
(30th May, 1959 ~ 30th May, 2005)
Ajay Dasani pays his tribute to his best friend and admires, as a fan, the 46 years he batted.
(A special Thank You to Shravan’s family for their cooperation and especially the memorable photographs.)
Although we spent 11 years together at St. Xavier’s High School, Shravan and I were not the best friends that we became after completing school. We met up at HR College and then onwards began a real bonding. We spent many a day and night at his then fabulous apartment at Woodlands on Pedder Road with a commanding view of the sea on all sides; those were the days when I was pretty much down and out financially but it didn’t make a difference to Shravan. He would happily take me to his home where I received a warm welcome from his mother and sister. It was with him that I discovered the exotic world of the Bombay Club life - waffles at Willingdon Club (‘crisp but not burnt’ was his standard instruction!) or bhel at the BCA! Ironically it was all so easy for him as we had to hop on to his car and he signed everywhere - ironical because almost always when he had to go home from college he would ask me to lend him 25p for a bus ride to his house (mornings the car was not there) - as he never carried cash! Of course the money was never returned and in later years it was a constant joke between us of the way we were! His mother Subhadra, would always chide him when we reached home, aghast as to how could he make me pay for his bus ride when I could barely afford mine! She remembers it even now, every time we meet in Mumbai.
Looking back to our school days, I was probably his biggest cricket fan, as I readily sneaked out of school last couple of hours to rush to the Azad Maidan – in anticipation of watching him and Abhay Dandavate open the batting for the School team! I remember vividly, during one game, his calm and composed approach at the crease with an equally calm Abhay at the other end, and then an explosion of expletives and gesticulations on being given out LBW! He was waving his bat at the umpire signaling an inside edge – but to no avail! A rare display of temper from otherwise a wonderfully grounded person.
On another occasion we were playing basketball at school and Shravan almost got into a physical battle with a senior – for pushing a junior on Shravan’s team and throwing him down! Ever the fierce competitor, he loved winning but would never tolerate foul means to achieve results.
This attitude would remain with him throughout his life - whether it be in business or at golf which he excelled at (Handicap 7) and would have represented India in the Juniors team but for his family commitments!
One of the funniest incidents we never forgot was when I first introduced him to Leena; on learning of her background he was aghast! He told me to quickly snap out of it and come down to earth. He put it simply – my then monthly salary would not be enough to meet her cosmetic requirements given the serious economic difference then. Eventually though as he got to know her better, he became our closest supporter helping us through some crazy times, to the extent of being mistaken as the best man at our wedding ,whose shoes were ‘stolen’ as per Indian Wedding Traditions!!
Indeed best friend is a cliché – he was a brother to me and my wife Leena. At first it was I who always sought his counsel for various situations I was facing at home and eventually he became a permanent advisor to Leena, much to my chagrin as he would always be taking her side as far as I was concerned!
In 1991, on his birthday, 30th of May, he was married to Renu, a wonderful girl from Moradabad, who was not quite used to the hustle and bustle of Bombay! But she adjusted extremely quickly and well adapting to his lifestyle. It was her fierce dedication and massive efforts which made his last few years as comfortable as possible, when the dreaded MSD struck him from out of the blue! It hit all of us with a huge shock. But Shravan remained calm and composed and started getting his affairs in order with amazing dignity. As his condition deteriorated visibly, with each of my annual trips to India, we felt the pain and suffering, but never once heard a squeak or a complaint from him. Every time he would enquire about my job, about the girls and always about how my golf game was coming along! Amazingly this continued even after he started losing his power of speech- he would use his eyes to point to a board of alphabets Renu had put up and he would ask the same questions, using each letter to painstakingly form a word….
Sadly, on 30th May 2005, his birthday and wedding anniversary, Shravan lost his battle and we all lost a classmate, a Xaverite, an outstanding cricketer and an accomplished golfer. I had often heard, whom the Gods love, die young – I guess Shravan wanted to remain my friend philosopher guide till the end – and explained the phrase to me in his own inimitable style.
In November 2019, Leena and I travelled to Mumbai to celebrate Shravan and Renu’s son Rohan’s wedding. We were proud to see what an affectionate and charming young man Rohan turned out to be, truly a chip of the old block. His mannerisms and smile so similar to Shravan’s (no surprise), he was overjoyed to see us.
Even at the wedding Shravan’s mother Subhadra reminded friends and family of how Shravan borrowed ‘bus fare’ from me to come home from college. Shravan still keeps on signing- he sends me signs from heaven, he was truly our Best Man! Rest in peace my dear friend, we miss you.
~ Ajay Dasani
About the author ~ Ajay Dasani
A Chartered Accountant by training and a Law Graduate, Ajay Dasani has spent over three decades in the Banking and Financial Services Industry in Corporate Banking/Corporate Finance, of which over 25 years have been in the Middle East. A passionate golfer, avid reader, restless traveler and a lifelong music student, Ajay is constantly learning and always eager to share knowledge, ideas, dreams and the way to fulfill them.
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