Some legends take shape in front of your eyes. Some just step into your lives. Some you smile at and forget. Some you cherish as a memory. Some you feel proud that you knew them.

I had no idea many years ago who Pradipak was. One day at the Sailing Club, I saw three yachts prettily docked near the jetty. They looked brand new and had three very interesting names…Renuka, Rohini and Radhika (I think). While I knew boats and ships were deemed to be feminine (my Naval friends always referred to their ships as ‘she’) I hadn’t heard of anyone who named boats after three ‘unremarkable’ young girls. It was only later that I found out that the naming was the brainchild of the Sailing Club ‘Captain’ whose friends these young ladies were. Bravo, I thought…what a good idea!!! And went on with my life.

A few years later I walked into the Secunderabad Club one evening and was surprised to see the barricades being removed for just one car…a black Ambassador…and driving up near the lawns…On asking around I discovered that this privilege was being extended to an elderly gentleman who was Pradipak’s father. I loved the spirit of it all, I remember thinking to myself…an old man who obviously hadn’t lost the zest for life…and was not allowing ill health or frailty to get in the way of a simple routine he had set for himself.

Around that time thanks to my sister ‘s marriage I realized that I had now become ‘related’ to Pradipak. So we met often at family functions and exchanged greetings. At a time I was even involved peripherally in Pradipak’s campaign when he stood for the post of the President, Secunderabad Club. And applauded when he brought about changes at the Sailing Club.

But two instances gave me a better connection with the man who by then had become an Arjuna Awardee…one was a film that I produced for the UB Group…called the Kingfisher Sailing Rally…where participants took off from Bombay and sailed to Goa and we were with them on land and in water throughout the journey…I had approached Pradipak for tips, hints and connections before the rally and he kindly provided them all in good measure…and that proved to be a great boon on the shoot.

The second time was when I was asked by the Irrigation Department to shoot a film on the KC Canal…I realized that the only way I could show the degradation of the banks was by shooting from mid stream…and there was no boat available that could be used to house my camera and crew. It was Pradipak who suggested that I borrow his personal ‘Laser’…a dinghy of sorts…tie it with a rope…set it afloat in the canal with camera and crew…and pull it along from the shore…The suggestion worked like a dream and though the film never saw the light of day, the experience is something I remember even today…

While discussing this and other things like dogs and drinks I saw a side of the man that was quite unexpected…an engineering side as he dissected technical drawings for aluminum fabrication.

When it was discovered that he was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease we were naturally distraught but took courage from seeing that he was facing the situation with aplomb. Even much later, when his health had deteriorated a lot, I was honored and touched when he came to see me at home when he heard that I had been unwell.

This is the mark of a true fighter I thought to myself…this is the man who rightfully took his place on the winner’s podium…this is the man who let the wind into his sails…and let his hair fly with the seas…

When he passed away, I felt that more than just a man had died…it was almost as if a kindred spirit had decided to move on…and as I walked in to pay my last respects to him…his daughter said something about how happy she was to see me back on my feet and driving…and how she thought I was a fighter like her dad…

now, that’s a compliment I shall long cherish…Pradipak my friend…RIP…the waves have been tamed.