CAMPUS EVENTS CULTURE ADVENTURE TALES OF AN UNLIKELY HERO
Take a glimpse of the actor’s life through excerpts from the book penned by his ex-wife Nandita Puri
As the world remembers actor Om Puri, who passed away on Friday morning, here are excerpts from a book on him written by his wife Nandita Puri. They were married from 1993 to 2013. Published by Roli Books, Unlikely Hero: Om Puri captures some memorable moments of his life. However, later Om called the book “distasteful”.
A CHILDHOOD SPENT IN POVERTY
Once, Om and his friend found an egg. Om had never seen one but his friend explained that it was something edible. His mother would not let them enter the house with it but gave them an empty oil tin can and some wood. The boys lit a fire, boiled the egg in the tin can and then relished it. It was perhaps the first time little Om had tasted any kind of non-vegetarian food.
SCHOOL WAS A LUXURY
Om was nearly eight when he reached Sanaur. He had never been to a school till then. At his age most boys were in the second standard. So his uncles sent him to a private school run by a very strict teacher called Sadhuram... In two years’ time Om made up for the lost time in Sadhuram’s school. He remembers practising handwriting on a takhti or wooden slab and droning multiplication tables in a sing-song manner...
THE SEXUAL AWAKENING
When he was 14 years old and in the ninth standard, a turning point came in Om’s life. One summer night, as the family was sleeping out on the terrace, Om noticed his Chhoti Maami sleeping with her midriff exposed. He reached out and caressed his aunt’s exposed tummy. She just turned away and muttered angrily. Next morning when Om woke up, his uncle Tarachand glared at him and gave him a tight slap without saying a word. He was told to pack his bags and go home to Ludhiana. In Ludhiana, Om sulked for a while though his parents did not say anything. Om was keen to go back as he wanted to complete his education. A few days later, his brother Ved took him to Sanaur and tried to persuade his uncles. They remained adamant but Om too refused to return to Ludhiana. It was vacation time and school was closed, so Om literally had nowhere to stay. He persuaded the school chowkidar, Jethu, to let him in and he slept in the verandah. While he stayed there with all his worldly belongings in a tin trunk, Naresh Kaushal brought him food from home everyday.
OM’S CHANGE OF EVENTS
In Sanaur too, there were no girls of his age and the only women he knew were his maternal aunts and maids. So it was but natural for Om to take a liking to older women. He must have been 14 when he was deflowered. A 55-year-old woman, Santi, used to provide general help in his maternal uncle’s house. Twice a day, water was drawn into the house with a hand pump and Om was asked to assist Santi in the job. Days went by and Om kept pressing the pump backwards and forwards, till one day he realised that Santi would first touch, then caress and finally fondle him during the task. The young boy began to get turned on without knowing what was happening to him. One day there was a power failure and in the dark, Santi grabbed Om, who was by then totally aroused. They slept together and the 14-yearold felt really great having come of age. Dark, greying, with a toothless grin, always dressed in half-torn salwars, Santi was Om’s first lover.
OM AND THE DOG
Once while filming with Jackie Shroff, Om asked casually, whether Shroff had a dog. He replied he didn’t like dogs too much and did not intend to keep one. But you must,’ Om insisted. Why?’ Shroff asked. ‘Because then you can call him Om.’ Shroff looked bewildered and thought Om had gone crazy. ‘But why would I do that?’Om smiled mischievously and said, ‘You see, I have a dog called Jackie.’ Shroff almost got up to hit him!