Sunday Story: Udi Udi Re Patang Meri
This week’s edition features the translated biography of Mr. Dilip Kapadia, father of Deepak Kapadia. The original article appeared in the Diwali 2001 issue of the Marathi magazine, Sahitya Jaagar. About a year ago, Deepak approached me with a request to translate the piece into English. It was a long article, around ten pages, and I started earnestly, translating the first couple of pages for approval. His father liked it and encouraged me to continue.
But, as life would have it, the project languished, and I eventually forgot about it. It was only after I heard the sad news of his father’s passing last month that I was struck by a deep sense of regret. I realized that completing the translation would have meant so much to him. The feeling was all the more acute when I attended his prayer meeting. To make amends, and as a tribute to his life, I decided to complete the translation.
Working line by line, I absorbed every nuance of his personality. Through this first-person narrative, it felt as if he were speaking to me directly. I now deeply regret never having met him in person. When I met Deepak at our school get-together, he had invited me home to meet his father, but somehow I never made the time. I didn’t know then that the chance would never come again.
What a phenomenal man he was. He took his passion for kite flying to soaring heights, winning awards and recognition both in India and internationally. And yet, he remained grounded, rooted in family, living by principles and values. Such men are rare.
I reached out to the original Marathi author, Sulabha Kore, who had written the biography 24 years ago. I managed to trace her, and today, she’s a well-known name in Hindi literature. She is currently working on a book featuring the life sketches of four or five remarkable personalities, one of whom is Mr. Dilip Kapadia. It’s amazing to think that she, who must have been a young reporter at the time, is now revisiting her own work after all these years. So much would have changed, her voice, her insight, her perspective. We chatted about her work, and I even bought her book.
The translated biography is long, yes, but I urge you to read it. For anyone interested in kite flying, or in fact, any passion pursued with wholehearted dedication, it’s an inspiring story of what commitment can achieve. Giving both the PDF and Docx versions, as some may find reading from the Docx version easier.
I’ve developed a deep respect for the man, and I believe you will feel the same after reading it. And perhaps, as you read, you’ll feel the tug of that invisible manja string too, drawing you upward, yet never letting you lose touch with the ground.
Biography - Marathi
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