When the brilliant Neurologist Dr (Colonel ) J.D.Mukherjee observed that mummy at 88 had become childlike with alzheimers I vehemently disagreed . She would always be my Durga Ma , my supreme Guru , my heroe my heroine . Kamla Lekhi whom lucky me , God , gave as my mother was born to Devki Aggarwal and Dr Diwan Chand Aggarwal . Her parents were lovingly called Manji and Chachaji by their entire family .

As a child mummy was simply outstanding in studies . Due to the insistence of her elder btother and sister Kamla”s father admitted her to Sir Ganga Ram school in Lahore which was english medium . Kamla not knowing a single word of english , her previous school being hindi medium , failed in her mid term exam . However the tough and impossible circumstances only inspired the courageous child to face the challenge with calm determination . She got hold of dictionaries and the classic  , ” A Tale of Two Cities ” and not only taught herself english but mastered the language . After that it was continious success in school , topping year after year . She actively participated in inter-school and later inter-college debates .

When Kamla told her father that she would like to marry Pran ( Pran Nath Lekhi ) Dr Diwan Chand Aggarwal made necessary inquiries in Punjab through his relatives  for necessary details about the boy and his family . He was informed that if he wanted to throw Kamla in a dust bin only then should Kamla wed Pran . Hearing these comments from her father she strongly replied that she preferred the dustbin . She was told to invite Pran to Delhi .

Pran had to make preparation for meeting Dr Diwan Chand Aggarwal . Penniless and without a job he desperately searched for something woolen as it was the winter season . A run doun shop in Hoshiarpur displayed a sale of thin blankets called kambal . That was all he could with great difficulty mannage . So he boarded a train for Delhi dressed in ordiniary white pyjama kurta with a kambal draped along .

On reaching Delhi he was shocked and embarassed to find that even the staff at the railway platform accompanying his prospective father in law  were more smartly attired . Shortly before his death Papa recounted to me that when he overheard my grandfather say that this boy will make a name for himself one day he was terrified about it ever being possible .

It was actually a compliment by the proud father Dr Diwan Chand Aggarwal demonstrating immense faith in his unusual daughter Kamla . Anyone Kamla would give her heart and soul to was bound eventually to succeed against all odds .