Fondest Memories of Thatha

Thatha always seemed quiet and unassuming until he made one of his jokes. They would slyly slip in, a piece of witty humor punctuating the conversation. And he would never resort to the Iyer/Redi joke. That was beneath him. Unfortunately I cannot remember any particular jokes at this moment but if anyone does, please comment!

I also remember his experience with the bird pepper when he was visiting us six, seven years ago. There was this pungent pepper growing at the base of our garden. While all of us were outside, he quietly plucked the small, pebble-sized pepper from the plant, popped in his mouth, slapped his knee and exclaimed, "Good for arthiritis!" Patti was horrified. Taking no heed of Patti's protestations, Thatha calmly plucked another pepper and repeated it.