Harry was the sum of his parts. These parts were many but at the end you had a man of utter simplicity.

That is not the impression he conveyed when I first set  my eyes on him in 1954. He was timid, I thought, until you discovered he was intelligent, dedicated and committed with firm views that he held with a fierce passion. He was not a man you defeated easily on any  intellectual matter. He was confident and assured. He spoke in a soft manner with ideas that were built with a great deal of clarity of thought. It showed in his academic worth and he was always among the toppers in his class.

Harry was obedient. He was shy. He was devout.

In retrospect, Harry embodied all the fine qualities for the professional position he came to occupy. He was no brawn and he was not the daring kind but his sense of fairness, justice and all that was correct and right were attractive attributes.

Here are some comments about Harry by his friends from the Class of 1962:

“Harry loved his dogs and guns. He used to go hunting in the college. days with his dogs and whosoever wanted to join him. He never shot at a sitting bird. The ones that took off were invariably brought down as he was a crack shot. His dogs were always winning prizes. He inherited these qualities from his father who kept a stuffed tiger in the drawing room in his Sector 10 house. Later he would go clay pigeon shooting” – Yogesh Uberoi

“ I think you must be aware that his forefinger had been partially injured when he was crawling out of the side open drain from the swimming pool. The main door from there  was closed. This was in the passage from the HM house to the pool. I was there and we rushed him to the hospital from where he was sent to Rippon. I can’t remember who else was there with me

Somehow we were locked on the swimming pool area, the door to the swimming pool had been closed from outside. we decided to climb on the khud side to get out. The person ahead of Harry slipped & stones were dislodged and they came hurtling down and Harry ‘s forefinger, first digit was cut, and hung by the skin. We took him to hospital & from there he was sent to Rippon hospital ” Ramesh Suthoo

 (Comment: minor addition: The swimming pool was locked and this drain hole offered a short cut from the gym side up to the dorms. The entry from the second flat was inaccessible since an event was in progress that morning. Post monsoon a stone from the khud side dislodged itself and came like a sharp knife on Harry’s finger, a slitter like action, which caused the injury)

“Harry loved music and he played the mouthorgan very well . He could play any tune  popular in those days” Harmeet Mamik

“A very fine legacy. The embodiment of a gentleman OC. We are all proud to also call him our classmate” Mohit Goyal 

“He had a lovely record collection. I often used to visit his house and listen to the lovely music collection. This was when we were at college” RLV Nath 

“Harry always conducted himself within the rules of the school and never strayed, a relatively quiet gentleman and one who didn’t take issue with anyone. He was very conscientious in his studies and if I remember correctly always in the top three in academics. All in all a very fine and good human being. Will miss him” NK Mehra 

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After Harry cut his forefinger, and it was never adequately restored because Simla did not have the requisite medical facilities for a surgery that required great skill, his parents came up to Simla. He went home for some months for treatment and recovery. He toyed with the idea of using his left hand instead but managed efficiently with his right hand and the little stub of a forefinger. He was persistent in all he did. I can see him struggling to get past the qualifying line for the marathon, with Mr Advani urging him on from the sidelines, with just a few seconds to go and make it in time !! He never gave up, a trait that was inculcated in him. He consequently recovered from the injury rather well with his confidence restored.

Harry was a pacifist. During the phase in the Cold War and, we were old enough to read about international events, Khrushchev had that year made a frightening speech at the UN culminating with an exhibition of shoe thumping in 1960. It seemed that the world was on the brink of another world war. We were worried. Harry, Guzder (Curzon House) and I decided to write to Khrushchev urging him to show restraint. The three of us earnestly sat in a class room with Harry in the centre and a letter was written. Of course the author, the brainy guy, was Harry. We then ambled up to the letter box that stood behind the Headmaster’s office and deposited our earnest missive to Khrushchev. Two days later, during dinner time, Fred Brown flourished the letter and announced with a smile on his face, “Khrushchev, come and get your letter, the postman cannot deliver it!!” A rather sheepish Harry got up and collected the envelope much to the amusement all around.

Harry’s father seemed like a tall strapping man. He looked taller because he wore a “taller” turban with a “tur” , which is an extension of the usual turban but stands flat upright atop the conventional head gear and flutters about like the feathers atop a peacock’s crown. He, consequently, looked imposing (at that age at any rate to us!!) . The parents would come and affectionately hug their pampered boy and pat their hands over his soft cheeks. On their departure, we would then walk up to Harry and stroke his cheeks, perhaps, as affectionately. It was almost like a petting pool. We laughed but Harry blushed though he never responded to our little amusing venture.!!

Harry was close friends from time to time with most of his class mates particularly from Curzon, Ravi Rikhye, Ramesh Suthoo and the others but towards his final years he spent a great deal of time on the bench outside the Headmaster’s office with Amarvir Singh discussing spiritual matters. Those discussions may have even sharpened his instincts for the ethical and the strong desire to never deviate from the righteous and the right. Ethics mattered a great deal to him and it showed in his professional conduct. Harry was never swayed by any external influence or factor in all the decisions he delivered. He was upright, ramrod straight and not amenable to any inducements or suggestions, never delivering any favour no matter how close the relative or friend the person might be. He was in that sense intractable never wavering from what he considered honest, true and correct.

In a school where Hindi was a subsidiary, even neglected subject, Harry excelled. I recall Mr G Shanker informing us that there were only two boys in School who took dictation in Hindi perfectly never  committing even one error, Harry and Amarvir Singh, he announced. Harry never got wrong any word in any dictation placing the right alphabet even for a similar sounding consonant or word. Perfection it was for him. He was conscientious.

This distinguished individual carried all the virtues that your scripture suggests are the qualities of good conduct. Harry fulfilled that bill almost completely though I daresay he was very human and not without his foibles or his faults. However, all that hardly mattered in the balance and he was one of the finest specimens of a good product that Bishop Cotton School saw past its hallowed portals.

Harry made us proud and may he rest in peace. Good bye, Dear Friend.

– Vijay Khurana

JUSTICE H.S.BEDI – A GENTLEMAN JUDGE