My earliest memory of
Om Puri is answering the doorbell for him one early morning in Calcutta (as it
was known then). There he stood in a dirty worn out white vest with a red gamcha over
his shoulder, hair dishevelled, face unwashed and scruffy with stubble. I
remember opening the door, taking one look and announcing nonchalantly that Om
Uncle was here.
His shock and dismay
that a child barely five years old had seen through his elaborate costume was
instant. A loud litany of