Wednesday, 7th December 2022
Santa Cruz, Mumbai.
She is the daughter of Baikady Venkatakrishna Rao & Vasanthiakka, who were our neighbour, living next door, just across a wall at Birthi Salekeri house.
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| with Gouri, Babu, Nalini and Nagaveni |
Kusuma (Babu), Gouri are her sisters and Suryanarayana (Anna), late Vishweshwara (Sanmani) , late Ramachandra (Putta) were her brothers.
When we were small, they were most of the time spending time in our house, playing together, going to school together, Nostalgic and fond memories.
As the years rolled, school, college, job and marriage took us all in diffrent directions.
Sumathi (Bulli) married to Sridhar and settled in Bombay, had a daughetr Supriya, sons Rishi and Ramakrishna.
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| with son Ramakrishna |
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| with Sridhar |
As I took up teaching jobs in Africa (Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Nigeria) , their house was stopping place for me before going to airport or after landing from overseas.
Her husband Sridhar was a jovial person, used to go out for small drinks.
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| with Family |
After the opening of Bengaluru International Airport, going through Bombay has stopped were seen less of them.
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| OM SADGATHI... |
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| HARSHA WEDDING |
News of her demise was a shock, but God's verdict, have to accept.
Deepest condolences to the bereaved family.
Sister Gowri sent pictures and wrote:
Supriya send me, Yes like a picture heroine.
Marriage reception pic
Just enters Bombay from Birthi
Very hardworking lady in birthi, Tota gadde kelasa
Nanu kadambari reading girl complete opposite
From now all are sweet memories
MAY HER SOUL REST IN PERFECT PEACE....... OM SHANTHI....
Tribute by Shubhaprada Alse:(Baikady Venkatakrishna Rao's sister's grand daughter)
In memory of my aunt Sumathi Atthe who left us about a month ago, I made some jackfruit curry, shunti tambuli ( ginger in yoghurt) carrot kosambri last night
Sumathi Atthe was my dads maternal cousin. She was the only relative of my dad who lived close to us. My first memories of visiting her were of travelling by local train to Kurla and then taking a double decker bus to Santacruz where she lived. I always looked forward to meeting her because of the double decker bus and being able to see aeroplanes as the bus passed by santacruz airport. Later on, when we owned a car, it meant visit to Ramakrishna ashram, buying books and then going to her home for an amazing lunch and heading back home in the evening.
When I close my eyes now, I can visualize Atthe’s warm welcome, followed by her rushing to the kitchen to churn up delicious recipes. She would tuck her saree in, start cutting veggies and cook up a feast. I still remember her pot of rice which used to fascinate me. Amma used a pressure cooker to make rice and dal, but Atthe would use this pot and keep stirring it with a ladle as she shared stories from my dads native village. We would get to know about all the weddings, upanayanas, births, deaths and events as the meal was prepared.
If my mom would suggest helping her out with the prep, Atthe would always tell her to relax and not bother. Atthe’s argument was that Amma always worked hard at our home and she needs to relax and just enjoy the meal when she is at her home. After the delicious meal, we all would take out the chaape ( mat) and pillows and relax. I would always get to lie down on Atthe’s lap as she would caress my hair and continue her chats with my mom. Before we left, there would be hot cups of coffee and yummy goli baje or some more snacks to feast on. The byes would go on for a long time as we would do our namaskaras to Ajji and hug Atthe a few times before we actually left. Atthe also loved to introduce us to all the members in her society. She would proudly say this is my brother and his little family and share all about where we lived, what we studied etc etc.
As I grew up and moved to Bangalore, my visits to her were rare. The last time, I visited Mumbai, i unfortunately couldn’t meet her, something I do regret today. She passed away suddenly and way too early. She leaves behind these beautiful memories for me which I will cherish forever.
Rest in Peace Atthe. You will be remembered by me always for your wholesome laughter, open arms, the love and care you always had for me and my family. You will be missed and Santacruz, despite your absence now will always be where Sumathi Atthe’s home is. ♥️
Posted on 9/12/2022
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