Goodbye Tom Alter

Devesh Sharma presents a short profile of the actor of American descent, Tom Alter, who was more Indian than some

- Devesh Sharma

The late Tom Alter’s fans will have a chance to see him soon in a short film called The Black Cat. Directed by Bhargav Saikia, the film has Tom playing writer Ruskin Bond. Incidentally, Alter was a neighbour of Bond in Landour, Uttarakhand. And a close friend too. Being a keen reader, and growing up in the surroundings described by Bond in his books, one cannot fathom a better person to play one of India’s eminent writers.

Alter’s grandparents were American missionaries, who came to British India to set up camp in Lahore. After Partition, his parents moved to India while his grandparents chose to remain in Pakistan. It was the love of Indian films, and especially Rajesh Khanna, which turned Alter into an actor. He was otherwise a teacher and perhaps would have followed his father doing missionary work. He did study in America for a while but couldn’t adjust in the alien environment. His heart was set in India, its culture, its wildlife, its poetry.