Declaring dates

"Dates fascinate me. And I don’t mean the edible khajoor or the one-on-one outings that people go on. What I am referring to are the actual dates of the calendar,” says Darius Daru­wala mischievously as he demonstrates his unique gift. Give him any date beginning 1955 and he can tell you what day of the week it was. He can also tell you what day all events, festivals and holidays were celebrated in the past 12 years and when your birthday would fall in the next 10 years. It is almost like he has memorized the calendars!

"When you tell me the date and month then my brain automatically starts working and I can give the corresponding day in a jiffy without the use of any pen, paper or calculations,” explains 32-year-old Daruwala adding that "mostly the people who ask me their birthdays are very delighted and surprised because every time I have been correct.” At his office when his colleagues take a break from work they invariably check Daruwala’s prowess with dates and confirm his answer with the help of a computer.

Daruwala: study dates

"When I was seven we had a calendar on the wall where the dates would be in big, bold, black print,” Daruwala explains the genesis of this self taught preoccupation. During my summer vacation, in the afternoons I would stand in front of it and study it. That is how this habit of reading the dates was cultivated. Today I take the calendar and randomly go through it. The days and dates just get registered in my mind. Just like some people read before going to bed, I study dates. Playing with them is like a game for me. However I do this in my free time only. It is not as if this is all I do and think about all the time,” clarifies Poona based Daruwala who works for a multinational corporation as a customer service executive.

His mother Gulshan says, "My mother had an accurate memory when it came to all the relatives’ birthdays and anniversaries but it was limited to just that.” Darius’ father Pervez too expresses his pride in his son’s talent. Thanks to this ability, learning historical dates, the bane of many a school child, came effortlessly to Daruwala.

He rattles off the time, date and day in 1980 on which his uncle purchased his new car. "My uncle must have forgotten it but it is still so fresh in my memory. Be it a day today or 50 years ago it is all here,” he says as he points to his head. On a parting note he mentions, "If I meet you after 10 years don’t be surprised if I can tell you the day you came to meet me!”

Khursheed Dinshaw