A tribute to Mohan

Mohan was born in New Delhi on the 2nd October 1952, the fourth of six children of Balakrishnan and Mangalam.

Mohan's birth name was Lakshminarayanan, however as many of you will know, Mohan shared his birthday with Mahatma Gandhi, whose full name of course, was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. And as a result of this shared birthday, Mohan acquired the name he would carry with him through his life.

Mohan enjoyed a happy childhood with his brothers Ramu and Vichu and sister Usha. Ramesh, the baby of the family, who I am glad to say has joined us from America this morning, was born when Mohan was seventeen.

Sadly Mohan's suffered loss from an early age. His younger brother Raja only lived for one short year and his sister Usha, who he was particularly close to, passed way when he was seventeen. Mohan mother passed away in 1976 when he was twenty four.

Mohan was a healthy, chubby baby, who also happened to be very fair. The aunties in the neighbourhood used to remark what a beautiful baby he was, and after some encouragement, his mother entered him in a beautiful baby competition. Predictably, Mohan won the contest!

Mohan's father was a Civil Servant, and in 1954 volunteered to take a posting in the Indian High Commission Office in Karachi, Pakistan. The move north, was at a time of political unrest following partition. The family lived in a secure complex; excursions outside required an escort of Indian Government security guards.

One story from the time in Karachi, relayed by Vichu, is how Mohan decided one day to peer inside a water tank in the garden. Without going into the details of who did what, Mohan ended up inside the tank gulping the dirty water. As a consequence, he would periodically fall sick for the next year of his life.

The family returned to New Dehli in 1957 where Mohan started school the same year. As a consequence of the water tank incident, Mohan was often absent from school and was forced to repeat his first year. This became a standing joke in a family of high achievers.

Despite this early set back, it was clear that Mohan, was very intelligent. He excelled at chess, regularly beating all his older brothers, much to their dismay. He was tall and so chose to sit at the back of class so as not to block others' views. It often came as a surprise to his teachers, that Mohan was not the typical rebellious backbencher, rather a model student.

In 1969, Mohan passed one of the world's most prestigious exams, and was admitted to study Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras. He was popular in college acquiring the nickname “Lucky” on account of his height, physique and good looks. He was also renowned for his singing; students would often gather outside when Mohan was in the shower, to hear his recitals.

Mohan graduated in 1975, and was offered a variety of positions including the Indian Navy and Metal Box. Unaware of the consequences, he accepted the post in the Navy along with a job at Metal Box. When he failed to report for Naval duty, he was threatened with a court martial. Fortunately, Mohan put hie contacts and charm to good use. He begged the Naval Chief’s daughter to persuade her father to release him! Mohan’s file promptly disappeared and so commenced his lifelong career with Metal Box.

Following an introduction by her Uncle, Mohan first met his wife of 39 years. At first, Usha’s father disapproved of the union on account of Mohan being a smoker. However the two were engaged and married two weeks later.Although the marriage was arranged, as was the custom, it quickly became apparent that they were a perfect match.

Mohan, however, was not a natural romantic. Shortly after meeting for the first time, he took Usha out to the local market and bought her a beautiful handbag. Inside it, he placed a short poem which read “To market, to market, to buy a fat pig...” Usha of course thought the poem was about her but she soon forgave him.

Mohan's next posting in Metalbox required the newly weds to relocate to Calcutta. He refused to fly because he would not part with his most prized possession, an old, blue scooter. As a result, Metalbox treated the couple to a luxurious first class train journey where the two enjoyed a butler service. At this stage in their lives this was their most luxurious experience together.

Mohan and Usha had two daughters, Preeta and Rupa. And so began his life in a house dominated by women. I am afraid to say Mohan's love of cricket, tennis and squash would become a solitary pursuit, despite his best efforts with the girls.

In 1985, the family relocated to Saudi Arabia where they enjoyed ten wonderful years. These were some of the happiest times in Mohan's life. The family recall the period as being one big party. They enjoyed weekends at the beach house and the many parties with friends. On Mohan's 40th birthday, he was well inebriated and had to be pulled out of the Red Sea late at night, having been thrown in by friends.

First and foremost, Mohan was a devoted father. Preeta and Rupa remember how they used to run to the door each evening when Dad came home. They remember how he would phone every Wednesday night to ask what treat, typically chocolate, they would like him to bring home. Not once did Dad let them down.

In 1995, the time came to leave Saudi and head to pastures new; though not before his close friends and colleagues had thrown him one last party to the theme “To Sir with Love”. Mohan had chosen a position in Metal Box Carlisle over sunny Barbados, in order to give his daughters a prestigious English education.

Now as you will all know, Mohan never learned to cook. When he moved to Carlisle, six months in advance of Usha and the girls, a friend invited Mohan home for dinner. He was obviously excited to have his first English home cooked meal. Mohan recalled a beautiful foil parcel being presented to him and the excitement of opening it up; only to find a giant potato inside! A whole potato. Being Indian, Mohan had no idea what to do with it. I think it is safe to say that from that day on, Mohan never acquired a love for English cuisine!

Mohan embraced life in Carlisle and made many of his closest friends here. He remained with Metal Box, continued to play chess, took up golf and even embraced the most English of past times: watching Premier League football.

He loved the beautiful countryside and in particular his walks around Talkin Tarn. He was also a permanent fixture on the bench outside Marks and Spencer. Even after all the years of being married to Usha, he never learned to enjoy shopping.

My own recollection of Mohan, is one of a man who was either watching the news, reading the newspaper or reading a book. As a result, he always had a considered opinion on the pressing world or national issues of the day. We would often have lengthy discussions about these; we did not always agree, however he would always listen and respect my opinion.

Mohan was a proud grandparent known as 'Big Daddy' to Rory, Nina and Jamie. Here he learned the wonders of modern technology allowing him to see the children on a regular basis, despite them living hundreds of miles away.

In 2012, Mohan was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. He would fight this illness with grace and dignity and never let it dampen his spirits.

Mohan's subtle and unique sense of humour continued to prevail. Just the other day, Usha once told Mohan that every time she walked into the room, he would ask for something. She then suggested that Mohan should store up his request ands for everything in one go. Mohan responded by wearing a baseball cap to signal when he wanted something. Of course Mohan knew that usher could not bear the sight of the baseball cap and also would respond immediately.

Throughout his life, Mohan placed great emphasis on his immediate and extended family. Being half way across the world did not stop him being extremely close to his brothers and this is something he passed on to Preeta and Rupa. The family spent all of their summer holidays making the long journey to India to be with relatives. His recent ill health did not prevent him travelling to Madras on numerous occasions, most recently in January of this year. He was always upbeat, despite the challenges he faced.

Mohan was a wonderful man: a gentleman with a generous and warm heart. Although his illness conquered his body, it never took over his heart.

Preeta and Rupa have asked me to conclude by reading this text message he sent them two weeks ago.

“Bright sunny day in Cumbria. Went for a walk around Talkin Tarn. Cold and windy. Not yet summer weather. Came home and had ice cream and Wotsit crisps for lunch. Life could not get better."