Outline: A ravishing kerala brunette – the day I saw her for the first time - her beauty - daughter and wife - her hobby - her enthusiasm – linguist traveller and poetess – her private motto - her tragic death in a car accident.
The most vivid memory of my early school days is a lady who ranks, by all odds, as the most interesting person I have met. She was in the full bloom of her beauty when I, as a child, first saw her. She was a ravishing Kerala brunette, who used to sit like a Maharani in the back seat of a 'Honda' motor car. As always, she provoked remarks. Everybody said excitedly, “There goes Mrs. Mary George”.
In those days Mrs. George, the wife of a famous Kerala doctor, was the leading society figure of that time. All kinds of people attended her lavish parties at the Oberois. The day I saw her she had been on her way out to the Oberois. She used to go there in the afternoon to play cards. She looked so very beautiful, that she could have given any of our film heroines a lesson in glamour.
However, even in her youth, Mrs. George was by no means a great beauty. She was quite plain-faced, but she had striking eyes and mouth and ravenblack hair. She had, in short, what is called in American English “the come hither look”. I am told several top local artists painted her portrait many times.
Mrs. George was born Mary John, daughter of a Kerala University professor. She came to Mumbai at the age of 21 in 1990 as the wife of Dr. Abraham George.
At her Pali Hill estate, she went in for gardening. Barefoot and holding her green sari, she spent hours growing plants and trees. She liked to do it because it felt good.
She was never too sophisticated but was very simple with tastes. Indeed, she liked to watch boxing bouts and tennis as well as art exhibitions and Indian dances.
Young Mrs. George travelled all over India. She was a linguist, who had mastered several South Indian languages, was well read and dabbled in Malayalam and Tamil.
Mrs. George had a private motto: "Be as happy as you can, but appear more so". And one great quality that she always practised was that she never spoke ill of others. But, unfortunately, her enthusiasm, her morals were attacked by some wicked people. What a pity, indeed!
Mrs. George, the most wonderful person I have ever known, got killed in a car accident near Ernakulam in Kerala. She died in the prime of her eventful and purposeful life. She was truly a young lady of whom any country would be justly proud!
Difficult words:
Ravishing brunette - very beautiful lady with dark complexion.
Provoked - excited
glamour - romantic personal attraction (context)
sophisticated - too wise in the ways of the world.
enthusiasms - strong feelings of admiration for something (context)
bouts - little battles
dabbled - worked at something but not seriously or continuously
prime - best time.
