Much has been written about the different aspects of Souza’s life, right from his childhood, to multiple marriages and his journey as an artist. I consider my family very fortunate to have known Souza at such close quarters, away from the controversy and the criticism, the Souza who yearned to lead a regular family life. He was particularly close to my younger son, as if the age gap didn’t exist. He would take him to all sorts of movies, eat at fast food places and even pay a visit to a very cheap salon to get his beard and hair trimmed. Souza mentioned this in one of the letters he used to frequently write to my younger son.

He would take a place near our house in old Delhi which was far from the comforts of a five star hotel. He would come every evening and go back late since he lived only a walking distance away. He enjoyed the simple home cooked meals I would serve him and found the food very flavourful. Souza’s every visit used to be cherished by all of us. It was so rich with the anecdotes, one used to feel that here was not just a great artist but a vastly read person who possessed this astonishing range of knowledge. We also sat through some stormy sessions of conversation between Goel and Souza not in agreement on some very deep philosophical issue.

This also meant that, much to the chagrin of his many admirers and the gallery owners, he would frequently give up fancy parties and meetings to be with us. Souza’s multi-dimensional personality was evident, from the great artist and writer to enjoying childlike moments with my son and being a master of world affairs and philosophy. He always mesmerized us with his clarity of thought and vision, always deeply worried about wars, the human condition or his take on the ugly side of religion’.

As dictated by Dr. Premlata Goel, widow of the distinguished art critic, K.B. Goel (1930-2018).