I have remembered Yatish Mamaji more than a few times in the last few weeks, and so here’s a belated birthday ode to him.
Today I saw a WhatsApp forward which enlightened me about the benefits of eating elachi. It immediately brought back memories of Mamaji’s post-lunch request, “Saroj, long elachi hai kya?” I can’t think of a lunch or dinner where Mamaji didn’t ask for it. I learnt that, among other things, elachi helps control blood pressure. ‘Long’ has multiple health benefits too, and the best way to consume them is by chewing one or two during the day. Mamaji knew that all along 🙂
More memories came to my mind as I was researching collagen. Apparently bone broths are the best source of type 1 and 3 collagens. It was at the house in Thane, in the hot kitchen with the huge exhaust fan facing the main road, eating mutton for the first time, that Mamaji taught me how to get the bone marrow out. He told me it had a lot of beneficial nutrients. It may become the latest fad, but Mamaji knew it all along 🙂
On a recent hike in Yosemite, our guide, an American, spoke to us about his deep faith in Ramana Maharshi and his regular visits to India to seek spirituality. Listening to him, I was taken back to the times when, as a little young girl, I felt a deep sense of reverence listening to Mamaji’s fervent prayer chants in the mandir room. The room, with its huge hollow dome, the life-size images of Shiv, Parvati and Ganesh, and the strong smell of incense, made the little girl in me feel the presence of the divine. I have now come to respect the deep faith Mamaji has in GOD. As I see a resurgence of multiple faiths from India taking hold here, I realize that my Mamaji had already shown me how to have unwavering faith in the Lord. Mamaji knew it all along 🙂
This short memoir cannot be complete without a mention of his clinic. I remember the distinct smell, the long corridor and the consulting room. We were so intrigued by the tall rotating chair, the stethoscope, the round weighing machine, the glass-lined desk and the AC on the wall. The icing was when we heard him speak in fluent Marathi with his patients. Mamaji had beautifully mastered the language, while I still struggle to speak a sentence in Spanish. He knew that to be effective at his work, he needed to know the local language. Mamaji knew it all along 🙂
Mamaji, you have touched our lives in so many ways. You have always been ahead of your time. For me, you are the caring adult I have always looked up to.
Thank you for always being there!