Former big game hunter, motor racer Tootoo Imam dies at 97

Former big game hunter, motor racer, and horse lover Tootoo Imam, whose flamboyant lifestyle was the stuff of urban legend, has died. He was 97.

Son of legendary barrister from Bihar Syed Hasan Imam, Syed Askari Hadi Ali Augastien Imam or Tootoo Imam, as he was famously known in India and abroad, died at a private hospital in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh on January 4, his son said.

Born in 1920, Imam was famed for his fitness and continued to be active even in his twilight years.

"He was a fit man even in his late 90s and walked and swam. This year he would have completed his 98 years and we were expecting him to complete his 100, but so is fate.
 

"He contracted an infection in his hand which then spread to his blood and claimed his life," his eldest son, Bulu Imam told PTI over phone from Hazaribagh.

With his demise, the last direct link with the great Imam brothers -- his father Hasan Imam and uncle Sir Ali Imam -- has also vanished.

"It is indeed an end of an era. He was the last surviving member from the immediate generation after the Imams, the one who saw them and grew up in their care. And, his own life was nothing short of extraordinary, making a name for himself as a motor racer, then a big game hunter, and also as an author and filmmaker," Bulu Imam, (75), a renowned environmental activist, said.

He said his father was baptised as a child and he was buried yesterday in the compound of his home 'Kehilaan' (an Arab breed of horse) reflecting the love he had for horses.

He is survived by wife Shahbat Imam, and another son Syed Hasan Francis Imam (named after his grandfather) and Nattie Yadav (named after her grandmother).

Tootoo Imam earned his reputation of living a flamboyant and rather quixotic life, and to his last days, dressed up as an aristocrat, an inheritance from his Imam lineage, and guests came to him from near and far, for big game hunting, till it remained legal in India.

His father, Syed Hasan Imam was a leading barrister of his days and later a Calcutta High Court judge and also served as the president of the Indian National Congress. And, his uncle, Sir Ali Imam too was a legal luminary, and both brothers were among the main architects behind the creation of the Bihar province in 1912.

"My father was born in a place called 'Hillside' in North Darjeeling. And, he used to spend time in Patna at the palatial 'Hasan Manzil' on Fraser Road and used to go to Darjeeling during summer holidays, where Hasan Imam, also had a property," Bulu Imam said.

"He was son of Hasan Imam through his second wife Nattie Imam, who was of Indo-French descent. But, my father's work as an author and documentary filmmaker and his life itself, means, he leaves a legacy of his own behind," he added.

Younger son, Syed Hasan Francis Imam, recalling his father's legacy said, "In 1956, he won the Indian Grand Prix in Calcutta, at a young age and shot to fame. And, his books 'The Brown Hunter', his love for horses, and other books will be remembered for long."

Condolences poured in on social media following the news of his death. The family said they will soon hold a memorial service in Hazaribagh.

"We will always miss you. Someone rightly said, 'When an old man is gone a library is lost'. You were and will remain a shining star for all of us. May your soul rest in peace!," wrote Abir Kumar Banerjee on Facebook.

With Tootoo Imam's death, a lot of the stories of his era, of the beautiful houses, 'Hasan Manzil' (now dismantled) and 'Rizwan Castle' (in shabby condition) in Patna built by his father, have also been consigned to oblivion.

In an interview to PTI, a few years ago, Tootoo Imam had shared the life and career of his father Hasan Imam, who, after the creation of the Bihar province, had shifted his practice to the Patna High Court.

"There used to be a long table in 'Hasan Manzil' on which we would share our meals. And, my father had a handsome collection of books in his library there. I still recall the fabulous gardens of 'Rizwan' and the grand stairway, where I used to play," he had said.