Here are some intimate details of our late Prof Anand Nayak. These sent by his sister Sr Mirabel A.C. for our benefit.-RR

Prof. Anand Nayak, whom we call Bonnie at home, arrived in Mumbai on Sept. 2nd night and drove with Lola to Villa Teresa. They spent time chatting and he slept at 5 am. The next day would be a busy day as he had to settle some business at Kylemore before proceeding to Leh-Ladak. Lola asked him to join the Onam celebrations with the sisters which he did joyfully. Glenda too was invited to join them. After lunch Lola, Anand and Glenda proceeded to Kylemore and met Colleen and settle the business. He was eager to meet Salu but he was not available. As he had a little time on hand he visited Amy and then Mount Mary Church and then drove to the Airport to catch the flight to Delhi. He had called Rossi and Ruthie during the day.

At Delhi he had a long wait from 11 pm to 6 am for the flight to Leh-Ladak. At 6 am the flight was postponed to the next day, due to bad weather. He had to spend the next 24 hours so he decided to go to CRI House, the only place he was familiar with. According to Bro. Mani, he had a relaxed day at the CRI House and told them that he would go at 3am to the airport and would take a taxi and that they need not get up to see him off. As arranged he left CRI at 3 am and just outside the gate got into an autorick. Before he reached half way to the Airport at Haus Khas, near the flyover, the auto was following a truck loaded with iron rods a good part of them jutting out of the truck, with no red flag or lights.

We interviewed the auto-driver this afternoon and got the following details: As the truck was climbing the floyover, it suddenly put a break. So the auto driver swerved to the right at which point two of the iron rods simply pierced Bonnie’s chest. The rickshaw driver got out unharmed and waved out to the passing Qualis car to come to his rescue. Both the drivers tried to push the auto back to disentangle it from the rods. At this point the rods came out of his chest and the truck sped away. Then the rick-driver asked the Qualis driver to call the police and tried to help Bonnie and stop the flow of blood. Bonnie uttered only one phrase: “take me to Escort and call the ambulance.” Within 5 mins. The ambulance and the police arrived and Bonnie walked to the ambulance with the help of the auto-driver who sat with him and tried to help him. Bonnie was groaning with pain. At the hospital they rushed him to the Operation Theatre and tried to do a surgery to save him. But by then he had lost a lot of blood and with it he got a cardiac arrest and passed away.

Before the surgery Bonnie had enough life to tell the doctor his name, where he had spent the previous night and his nationality and whom to inform of his accident. Only after he passed away the police called Keith, the lawyer in Mumbai with whom Bonnie had conversed last. They told him that his condition was serious. Keith called Lola and conveyed the message and asked her to contact the police. By then the police officer himself called Lola and told her that Bonnie was very serious. Lola contacted her sisters in Delhi, Ruthie the AC Sisters and Rossi the Jesuits and told them that Bonnie was serious. All got into action trying to find out Bonnie’s condition at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). By then Ajay, a friend of Glenda, who had visited AIIMS found out that Bonnie had already passed away and informed Glenda and Nina. Ruthie and Rossi came to know from Nina but Lola was not given the news on the phone. Glenda decided to go personally to Villa Teresa to inform Lola but by then Lola had left for the Airport. Her desire was to reach Delhi to nurse Bonnie. She learnt the sad news only on arrival in Delhi.

On the 5th Lola was the first one to reach Delhi, Ruthie came at 5 pm and Rossi after 7 pm. In the meantime, the FMM, AC Sisters, Jesuit Fathers, CRI Staff and Ajay had made attempts to gather details and identify the body of Bonnie. We could see him only on the 6th when we were called to the Trauma Centre to file all the reports and do the post mortem. Here too the Fathers and Sisters with Ajay were by our side like angels. We three stayed together at the Jesuit Provincial Residence at Jor Bagh and discussed the details of further arrangements. We are grateful to the Jesuit Fathers, especially to Fr. Phillip for giving us accommodation in their house. We were put in touch with undertakers – Morgan Funeral company, who undertook to embalm the body and make all the arrangements with the insurance company and embassy to transport the body to Switzerland. Ann Marie wanted the funeral to be in Switzerland. Hopefully all the arrangements will be done by 8th Tuesday. We intend having a Mass for Bonnie before we send him to Switzerland with some Fathers and sisters whom we know in Delhi.

Bonnie’s sudden death has left all in a state of shock and grief. Bonnie was the Professor of Science of Religions at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland heading the Faculty of this department. His prime interest was India and her Religious tradition and culture. He had attained mastery on this topic through self-study and interaction with like minded people. He had cultivated this interest even before he joined the Society of Jesus but had many opportunities to study as a Jesuit. This interest continued even after he left the Society. Every year he would bring a group of students to India to make on the spot study and gain first hand knowledge and experience of Indian heritage. These trips entailed a lot of preparation and on one such preparatory trips God snatched him from us.

Besides his profession Bonnie had deep interest in the poor and needy people of India. He made money but was never attached to money. Every year during Christmas his heart would go out to the bashful poor of India and contacted sisters and Fathers who would help him to contact families who would be happy to have a little money with them to celebrate Christmas. These people were of all religions and their number is in hundreds. He even would come personally to meet these families to see if they needed any other help. He lives in the hearts of all these poor people who will miss his help in the years to come.

Bonnie loved his brothers and sisters and we three religious were his special concern. He would arrange holidays for us in Europe and Switzerland in particular. We made two such trips in 1997 and 2005 when he drove us all around important places we liked to see and gave us a rich experience of life in Europe. He wanted us to make one more trip together to Holy Land. But that will never happen as he himself has gone before us to the Heavenly Jerusalem where we will follow him soon.

He lived for his children – Lucie, Jeremie and Mael. He loved them and was prepared to fulfill all their wants and dreams. Lucie has just completed her Ph.D in Sociology and he was proud of her ambition to follow him as a scholar. Jeremie is pursuing a career as a Pharmacist and little Mael who was his love and relaxation is still in school. Ann Marie is not enjoying good health but is looking after the children with love.

Anand’s life work is over. He must have had many more dreams but God thought that this much was enough. We can only say ‘Thank You, dear Bonnie” for being such a good and generous brother to us. May God take you to your eternal rest and reward you according to his bountiful love.