by Sandeep Heble
Our fondest and most loving uncle, Chandranath Borkar, passed away today after a brief illness. He was the younger son of Goa’s beloved Poet Bakibab Borkar, who lived in Houston, USA with his wife and 4 children.
It was the year 2010, when the Government of Goa was celebrating the Centenary of Poet B. B. Borkar when we all met last. Memories which will be etched in our minds forever. A beautiful reunion with many of the family members joining along.
Together with his wife, we all watched the movie “Poet Borkar Speaking” along with the Film Director “Dnyanesh Moghe” and the cast and crew. It was a touching moment to us all, and to him, a revival of his childhood moments and memories of his dear father, the Late Poet Bakibab.
Though he never had the opportunity to come again to Goa, technological advancements such as Mobile Phones and WhatsApp meant that though physically far apart, we could always stay close through family groups and regular phone calls which he made quite often to my mom and his other sisters in India.
To the whole family, he was the kindest, most affable and sweetest person we’ve all known, with a very modest and caring nature and a very affectionate heart. His family and friends will also know him as a gifted singer, who sang songs of Mukesh as a hobby, and loved spending time with his family, friends and colleagues, entertaining all with his soulful voice. Who knows, if he had not taken up Mechanical Engineering as a profession, he would have been a well established singer in the music Industry by now. Such was his love and passion for singing and music, and his gifted talents.
A question often asked to us is which of Bakibab’s children has had his cultural talents. In that sense, Chandranath mama stands high amongst them all. He learnt classical music from a young age, composed occasional poems, penned many articles, besides regularly entertaining friends with his singing and even organising singing sessions in the US.
And he very aptly referred to his wife as “Kavita”, meaning poetry in English. One could thus safely say that among the sons and daughters of Bakibab, he had the most cultural genes of them all. Glued in the truest sense with the artistic, cultural and intrinsic traditions of Goa and India.
With profound sadness, we heard this morning that our uncle with the golden voice and a diamond heart would now live only in our memories. No doubt, these memories, particularly the times and moments spent with our fondest mama during our childhood, which will count as the best days of our lives!
We in the family will pray that our most affable maternal uncle now lives a very contented life in heaven. Om shanti 🙏
(The Obituary is written in the fond memory of Chandranath Borkar, son of Goa’s Poet Bakibab Borkar, by his nephew Sandeep Heble in his fond remembrance).
