Mumbai's theatre fraternity had not even recovered from the news of veteran Bomi Kapadia's passing last week that they've had to bear the shock of another loss – that of Ruby Patel, who strode the stage like a colossus despite her petite frame. She was 86, and is survived by her husband Burjor and three children.

"I have tried to never miss a single play in which Ruby acted. In many ways, I wanted to be like her, though the type of theatre I did was different," recalls thespian Dolly Thakore, hailing Patel's craft. "It was honed at the Adi Murzban school of acting. His actors were so good; he let them be and take over on stage. Ruby was in that groove. So many wonderfully confident actors emerged from that stable including Hosi Vasunia, Bomi Kapadia and Scheherazade and Rohinton Mody. They never play-acted; they simply went into character."