My association with KK dates back to the mid-eighties, when I met him in Delhi for the first time and saw him play in DBA. He stood out as a thorough gentleman and a very polished individual.
I did not play as his partner in Delhi; rather, my first encounter with him as partner came in 1991 when both of us found ourselves working in Hyderabad. Not only did we play together in partnership, but were also associated socially as he was an excellent conversationalist over a glass of something.
He was a very knowledgeable fellow in many topics besides Bridge and it was a treat to have a tete a tete with him. He had class written all over him. While he was more inclined towards Rum I had the good fortune of introducing him to smoky single malts.
During the Hyderabad sojourn, we won a lot of trophies together, though our association in Hyderabad was pretty short as he moved over to Ahmedabad and other places.
Nevertheless, we continued to be in touch and did play a few times together on the national circuit with fairly positive results. The association continued despite his failing health and his cardiac arrest from which he miraculously escaped death. But this joy was short-lived as within a year or two came the sad news of his passing away.
It came as a rude shock because he was one of the few on the Bridge circuit on the same wavelength as me. Perhaps his lifestye took its toll on his overall health, or was he in going away so soon epitomizing the saying that "Those whom the Gods love die young"?
His passing away was a great loss to the bridge circuit. I thank Arun Jain for instituting this event in his memory and hope that many of you will be raising the proverbial glass to him in his memory.
Puneet Gangal