He has seen Mahatma Gandhi face-to-face. Jawaharlal Nehru would hop into the sidecar of his father’s motorbike, and he owns an autograph book containing the signatures of Netaji, Tagore, C.V. Raman and others.

Arun Kumar Gupta of GC Block celebrated his 100th birthday on November 10. He is fit for his age, his mind remains sharp, and he recounts happily the experiences he has witnessed over the past century.

Born and raised in Allahabad, Gupta was one of five siblings. “My father was an engineer at the Allahabad Municipality, in charge for roads. This was during Nehru’s time as chairman,” he recalls. “Nehru would often hop onto the sidecar of my father’s motorcycle when inspecting roads and once, when the bike broke down, the future Prime Minister even helped push it!”

Those were the days when Allahabad was a hub of political activity. “I remember the excitement when Gandhi declared the Quit India Movement in 1942,” says the man who witnessed the Mahatma at the funeral of Nehru’s father, Motilal Nehru. “We attended kirtans there and heard them sing Gandhi’s favourite hymn, Raghupati Raghav. “

As anti-British sentiment grew, Gupta recalls cutting phone lines at the army cantonment too.

Dhyan Chand alert

Gupta’s eldest sister, Sadhana Gupta, maintained an autograph book that is now priceless.

“The first signature in the book is Rabindranath Tagore’s, from his 1935 visit to Allahabad,” Gupta shows, then moving on to a photograph of the women of his family with Tagore and Ira Barua, actress Sharmila Tagore’s mother. “They didn’t let me in that photo,” he jokes.

Gandhi signed the book with the words: “Pratigya palan karo.” Netaji, in 1937, wrote the line Swadhinota-hinotay ke bnachite chay re, ke bnachite chay, slightly misquoting a Rangalal Bandyopadhyay poem. There are also autographs from Rajendra Prasad, India’s first president, Nobel laureate C.V. Raman, astrophysicist Meghnad Saha, chemist Prafulla Chandra Ray, and dancer Uday Shankar. “Once, Indira Gandhi, who wasn’t a public figure yet, was around when my sister was collecting autographs. She helped herself to the book, announced she would sign it too and wrote: ‘Indira Priyadarshini Nehru’,” he recounts.

Those were the golden days of Indian hockey. Once when the team was playing in their city, Gupta’s cousin, Sukumal Dasgupta, took the book without his sister’s knowledge and managed to get signatures from the legendary Dhyan Chand and his brother Roop Singh. “He was over the moon but didi was livid! She didn’t care for sports and thought these signatures were unworthy of a book blessed by Netaji and Tagore,” Gupta laughs.

His sister has passed away since, and the book, a family heirloom, is now in Gupta’s care. He enjoys showing it to guests.

Showstopper on ramp

Gupta studied electrical engineering at an institute in Roorkee, which later became an IIT. He trained in France, worked in the UK, and, despite later settling in India, travelled all over the world. He retired as president - south Asia sales at General Electric in 1987.

He and his wife, Aparna, had two sons. The retired couple lived in Delhi until his wife passed away 10 years ago. His younger son, Jishnu, who lives in Salt Lake with his family, invited him to come down, and he has been living in GC Block ever since.

“I like Salt Lake and my son’s friends here adore me,” says the man, who was showstopper of a senior citizens’ fashion show in the block last year. “I walked the ramp with my walker,” he smiles. “I take part in these activities as we should enjoy life.”

Shakespeare on iPad

Gupta wears a hearing aid and a back brace but his sugar and pressure are under control with medication. Every afternoon, he’s pushed to FC Park in his wheelchair, where he walks, using the chair for support. His appetite is strong, and he enjoys dining out. “Continental is my favourite cuisine,” he says.

He’s enjoyed The Crown and The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix and is currently, reading Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on his iPad. “The iPad suits me as I can increase the font size. I’m also interested in stock trading, so I keep up with business news,” says the man who has written his autobiography and is now working on a book of anecdotes.

Longevity runs in the family. Gupta’s father lived till 97, and his elder brother passed away two months ago at 105. “We were both hard of hearing, so we often communicated through email more than the phone,” he says. His advice for a long life isn’t about diet or exercise but mental well-being. “Take it easy and stay positive.”