The jinxed year 2020 is almost to an end. And Germany is gearing up for the second lockdown. All the non-essential services have stopped, and people are encouraged to be indoors and avoid unnecessary traveling and shopping. I was also in a low mood on Monday just like many others who have no answer to the question, when will the world be back to normal. When will this end? When will this massacre stop?
The year 2020 dealt one more blow to all of us, the school friends, the 1995 year SSC pass-out batch of Kidland English School in Dombivli when we got the news of the demise of our head boy, who was just old as we all are. In our early 40's! We all were in rude shock, and many of us thought that it is a cruel joke someone has played on us.
We girls have a WhatsApp group, and we suddenly were talking about this person, who was no more in this world. We never saw him after school. But he was a brilliant and sharp individual. He excelled in sports and was a school topper. He was the captain of the blue house for all the years we were in school. He was mischievous, frank, and ready to help others. There was often rivalry between him and the other topper in the class, and they sometimes got into a brawl which usually ended up in a scolding by the class teacher. He rose to a high position with his sheer dedication, hard work, and commitment. He was in the UK for many years, and he returned to India a few years back to take care of his aging parents. He ran marathons and was a very athletic person. He took good care of his food habits.
I had chatted with him on Facebook after he returned, and he had mentioned how he would start a new chapter back in India after not having peace and love back there. I was happy for him; we all were very proud of him and hoped to meet him sometime when we planned another get-together. But that wasn't supposed to be.
From the time he returned from the UK, he had complaints of stomach ache and digestion problems. He had issues back there, but maybe due to the work pressure and less time, he didn't get time to do a check-up. After returning here, he got married, and he seemed so happy in the pictures with his new wife. They both looked so much in love and made for each other! But destiny had some other plans, and he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and he had to undergo chemotherapy on his first wedding anniversary. One of our school friends was in touch with him like he is with many others. And he watched him deteriorate from the time his health started dipping. We can't imagine how his parents and his wife must have coped with all this. Watching our loved ones die little by little in front of our own eyes is impossible even to imagine! His friends were with him 24/7 in his last days, and our school friend told me that he was holding his hand for two days and not leaving him at all. Perhaps he was aware that he wouldn't be able to survive all this. He tried his best to seek help, and if it wasn't Corona, he was even planning to fly to the UK for treatment. He was in great pain and distress, and he was very agitated and couldn't control his temper. He must be feeling helpless. God relieved him of his pain and sent him to a better place. His parents and wife must be inconsolable, but they will have to face the truth and believe in God for his better plans.
The girl's gang in the school group were sad about the fact that we lost a good human being, an intelligent human being, and a good friend. I am sure the boys felt the same about our batchmate. We all have started taking people for granted. We also take relationships for granted. We don't find time to acknowledge people for their goodness and kindness. We ignore others and their lives. We have lost touch with humility, and we have stopped feeling like humans in this fast-paced life.
We all should value our relationships and be thankful every day for having good health. Taking care of yourself and your loved ones by eating right and healthy food, exercising regularly, not getting into negative self-talk, and doing regular health check-ups would help us all in the long run.
Dear Kidlander, blue house captain and the topper of the batch,
We all will always remember you as an intelligent and athletic person. We are sorry, we couldn't share your pain and didn't know what all you went through. We will pray for you and may God give strength to your family to cope up with your untimely exit. May you attain peace and be pain-free.
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