On Bombay
(From the chapter Childhood, Youth and Family in Jamshedpur)
After completing high school at Loyola in Jamshedpur, Astad went to Bombay for university studies in 1965. Although both parents encouraged Astad to pursue his love of dance, his father insisted that he first complete his Bachelor of Commerce degree at R A Poddar College, Bombay, before following his dream. After all, at that time as today, parents regarded a college degree as a safety net for someone seeking a career as an artist. Astad admitted that he was not rebellious—that was [his sister] Gulshan’s domain, as I learned through my interviews with both sisters—so he followed his father’s advice, even though he found studying commerce boring.

…[Nephew] Danesh was struck by Astad’s habit of walking long distances in Bombay, such as from Shapur Baug to Bandra—a distance of 13 kilometres. He recalled that once when Astad was returning from a walk, he was bathed in sweat! “Did you run?” asked Danesh. “No, I just walked,” responded Astad. This inspired Danesh to take up the practice of such long walks in the city. Danesh found slow walks helped him in his visual arts work. Now an environmental scientist in Australia, Danesh told me over a WhatsApp call how difficult it was for him not to be in Bombay with his family when Astad passed away.