Happy Birthday Joshi kaka!

Joshi kaka is our upstairs neighbour and one of the youngest 70-year olds I have ever known. Recently he celebrated his 70th birthday, and threw a party for his close friends. The party was typical of the man - merry yet understated, full of life yet very simple.

I have known Joshi kaka for several years now. His wife Vaishali Joshi lost her battle with cancer a few years ago. The family must have gone through an ordeal during Joshi kaku's illness, but I have never heard Joshi kaka complain about the pain the family went through and I have never known him to give up the passion for living.

Joshi kaka's son Sagar lives in the US with his family. Sagar and his wife Kashmira have an adorable son Aadit, who is now 11 years old. Almost every year Aadit comes to India to spend time with his grandfather. Joshi kaka and Aadit spend up to 2 months together playing, traveling, and having fun together - just by themselves. Many fathers dream of having a friend-to-friend relationship with their sons - this is one of the few instances I have seen where a grandfather has an authentic friend-to-friend relationship with his grandson!

Joshi kaka with Aadit

One of Joshi kaka's favourite past times is translating interesting English books into Marathi. I am not sure how many he has already translated, but the number is surely more than 25. He splits his time between translating books, spending time with his family and friends, and making our housing community a fun place to live.

The best thing about Joshi kaka is that there is nothing phoney about him. For his 70th birthday party he had invited a close friend who happens to be a good Accordian player. Joshi kaka requested his friend to play some songs on the occasion. His friend just rocked! I almost had tears in my eyes listening to this gentleman play lovely melodies on this incredible instrument. But the most most incredible thing about the party was the sense of togetherness everyone felt. It was as if we had been transported to another world - away from the maddening everyday world. It was a celebration of the joy of living with Joshi kaka leading the celebration.

Happy birthday Joshi kaka, it has been an absolute pleasure knowing you!

Joshi kaka at his birthday party