A tiny profile, part of a special issue about octogenarians published here
JEHANGIR SABAVALA
Age: 87
Profession: Artist
Working it: Puts in hours regularly at the offices of a commercial outfit. What business? Nothing to do with painting is all he’ll sayThe old man with beautiful manners can still find aging to be an extraordinary thing, its unreality kept at bay with his easy spirits. Jehangir Sabavala couldn’t believe it when he turned 60, but he never really thought of himself as elderly till a year or two ago. “Some vitality and energy kept up the momentum of life,” says the Mumbaikar.
He’s never known generation gaps and has always kept friends of all ages. And increasingly, he wants to go all out against mortality’s stopwatch. He still paints daily from 10:30am to 5:30pm, with a small break for lunch. Always a small eater by constitution, he gave up strenuous exercises like tennis and riding in his mid-20s, and now prefers a little yoga for 15 minutes every day. “I listen to others more now and don’t talk unless asked,” he says. A dandy is usually exuberant in his politeness – which has its uses, after all.