My first memories of Ram Narayanji, my Nana, go back to the early 1960s: I can clearly see him showing every new leaf and bud in the garden to a 3-year-old, filling her with a sense of amazement! At that early age, he inculcated in me a habit of physical activity and a sense for caring. He would dictate pages of his translation work to me whereby I learnt to not misplace even a nukhta (dot in Devnagri and Perso-Arabic script). Nanaji maintained an elaborate accounting system for house expenses which in my childhood I thought was a bizarre obsession. Only after I grew up, I graciously understood the significance of having learnt accounting at that young age and its benefits in my personal and professional life. Most importantly, Nanaji taught me the virtue of civility and respect for everyone regardless of the individual’s wealth, occupation, or education.
Pragya Nopany is a science educator and founder-coordinator of BVN-IAPT Anveshika (New Delhi), a space for teachers and students to learn physics through experimentation.