July 19, 2024

On the night of July 16, when Prim Rose (Prima), daughter of John B Monteiro, called me, I thought it might be an invitation to attend her father's 86th birthday. His 85th birthday had been celebrated with great fanfare on the same day last year at his sprawling Johnlyn Cottage (named after him and his beloved Lynette). I had the privilege of raising the toast. But today, Prima said in a low voice, "Daddy passed away in the evening," and explained his final moments.

I knew John had suffered a stroke that had kept him from his daily chores, but he was recuperating. I had visited him and hoped to see him recover. But this was not to be.

I looked out from my window. It was pouring like cats and dogs. Now I realized why nature had been shedding tears all day. For a while, I thanked Almighty for John B. Monteiro in our lives—such a great friend, a prolific writer, and more than anything, a person who loved life to the fullest. He laughed at life, its agony and ecstasy. He was nicknamed 'the laughter Guru' by some, but he had many titles, like ‘father in love’ to his daughters-in-law and ‘Papa John’ to his nieces and grandnieces.

He had nurtured a unique method of thanking our creator for giving a wonderful morning, which eventually became known as ‘The Laughter Club.’ Each session would start with praises and gratitude to Almighty, before moving on to light exercises. Many in the Bondel neighborhood joined him. Though the stroke stopped him from leading the team, he quickly passed the baton to his best friend, Kalil, ensuring his brainchild didn’t suffer. Like Charlie Chaplin once said, "When you laugh, the whole world laughs with you." He made an entire generation laugh with him.

In this short article, I wish to highlight a few reasons why John B Monteiro was so special and different for all of us:

1. He was a crusader against corruption and wrote books such as Corruption - Control of Mal-Administration (300 pages) and its update India’s Painful Crawl to Lokpal (360 pages) nearly 56 years later. Both were bestsellers. He also authored The History of CASK (Canara Association of South Kanara) and Other Centenary Institutions of Mangalore (400 pages).
2. He was a spontaneous writer, both in print and electronic media. His articles appeared regularly on the prestigious website daijiworld.com. He was also on the permanent panel of writers for Daijiworld Weekly (now defunct) and maintained his own website, www.welcometoreason.com, which he operated and updated by himself.
3. He edited the English section of Bondelchem Bonder, a monthly magazine published by his Bondel parish, in which he wrote about celebrities and ordinary people with equal interest. For him, both were two sides of the same coin.
4. Once, I compared him to the thespian journalist Khushwant Singh for their shared taste for good wine and beautiful women. But his wife Lynette disagreed, saying, "I don’t know about women, but he likes vodka more than wine because it doesn’t smell." Khushwant Singh was his compatriot as he wrote for the evening editions of the Times of India, including the Illustrated Weekly of India. In one edition dedicated to Mangalore, Khushwant Singh assigned John to write a special article, ‘Canara Catholics,’ in which he described the rich cultural values of the coastal region.
5. He was a silent donor who contributed to many philanthropic activities. His love for children led him to start a ‘Toy Shop,’ which is still operational at his residence.
6. He often hosted his journalist friends over a few drinks and a sumptuous dinner. When asked if he was doing this as a publicity stunt, he jokingly said he got a kick out of sharing his drink with the less fortunate. I was one of the less fortunate.

Many called him by many names; I called him Sir John.

Goodbye, Sir John, until we meet again. I am sure your readers of Daijiworld will miss you and your extensive articles.