2013 ended
very badly for me. It was the last day, December 31st, when my
colleague passed away. He died of pneumonia.
He was only 36 years old when he died. I met him in October 2013, just 2
months before his demise.
Post
retirement, I was seeking jobs, and landed one as training manager, in a Pharma
company near to my residence.
I joined
the company on October 7th. As I walked towards the office that Monday, a
person was getting down from an auto-rickshaw. Young and slightly bulky, with
prominent belly, he steadied himself with the help of a walking stick. He
limped to the door, and I followed him. We introduced ourselves.
He said
his limping was due to an accident when a moving two- wheeler had rammed into
his knee and had broken the knee bone to small bits. After surgery, and 5
months of recuperation he too had joined duty recently.
Most time
his walking stick used to slide and fall down, as he rested it in odd places.
I had to
train him in methods to improve his presentation skills. He was from interior
of Tamilnadu, and though he spoke well in English, there was ample scope for
improvement.
He took in
my suggestions, and showed slow improvement.
Within a
month he opened up and shared with me details of his life. He had 2 sisters
both of whom were brave, and exceptionally talented. But both were now content
to play the role of house wives, a very normal sacrifice women make for their
families, in India
His was a
love marriage. He had fallen for his childhood friend, and their friendship had
turned into love. His parents had
opposed the marriage, and he had waited patiently for 3 years to get their
approval. But they were adamant. So informed them about his plans and one day
got married in a simple ceremony, with the help of friends. It was an economical marriage, costing just
Rs.5000.
The
parents came around, when he was blessed with a daughter. He found it difficult
to manage his child, as his wife was a working woman. He left the office sharp
at 6PM , to take over his daughter from his wife
as she rushed off to work night shifts.
He had
plans of becoming an entrepreneur , and toyed with the idea of marketing green
dip tea.
Casual and
yet ambitious, he was always cheerful.
Within
weeks of knowing each other, he complimented me on my dress sense, envied my
trim figure, and appreciated the smell
of my perfume. He used to dress well, he
told me, but had lost interest after the
accident. Now after meeting he said he felt inspired to dress better.
He used to
come down with episodes of coughing, and used to self treat, himself with anti- biotics.
One Sunday
when his chest started aching with each cough, and he stared spitting blood
with sputum he got admitted in the emergency ward of a private hospital. As his
condition worsened, the doctors shifted him to the ICU, and put him on
ventilator. In spite of the best antibiotics administered, he did not respond
and he breathed his last at 5 AM , that morning.
Too young
to die, he left behind a young widow, a small child and aged parents who had
hoped to depend on him in their old age.
Had his
parents had an inkling, maybe they would have attended his marriage. If he
could foresee, maybe he would have spared his lady love of wedlock.
Only if we
could foresee the future, our perspectives of life would be so different. All
of us know about the fleeting nature of human life. We see enough evidence of
it in the obituary columns everyday. Death spares no one. It treats, the young
and old alike. But we hardly learn from life. If only we could live each moment
as it were the last one. If we could only
be kind to everyone we meet, spread love and laughter through each day.
If we could exchange understanding for ego, love for hatred, kindness for
cruelty, and laughter for meaningless sadness, then we may not feel so much for
the dead.
It is so
much better to spare a kind word for the one who is alive, than shed a tear for
the dead.
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