When we drank tea together at your place on the evening of New Year's Eve, and when we laughed on the phone on Saturday night, I never suspected that you were going to pull a fast one on me.
Coming at the end of a long year of heavy losses and at the beginning of a year when hope was renewed, you have dealt me a bitter blow. You, my trusted friend, who has held my hand through many a dark day. You, who have allowed me to offer you some strength and support during your troubled times.
Will I never drink your too-milky tea again?
Will I never again smile at your flashy shoes?
Are you never again going to try and talk me into colouring my hair or tell me to get down to my paper corrections?
Don't you realise that you are irreplaceable in my life?
No other friend has tried to feed my kids junk food on a 'no junk food day'.
No other has been a partner in the crime of whatsapping countless hours away.
And you said goodbye before even tasting my biriyani?
You.
You were a complicated man.
Difficult, moody and often stubborn.
You were a fun guy.
You were a kind, gentle, compassionate soul.
And though your advice hardly ever made sense and we often didn't see eye to eye, we always saw heart to heart.
You were utterly loyal.
A true mitr.
I don't know if you noticed but I wore purple at your funeral. Purple trousers and a blue belt.
It was a promise I was making to you, you who have won some battles and lost some more.
I promised you that day that whatever hand Life dealt me, I would hold my head high and live it up - just like you wanted me to.
I will make it up to you, for you.
I pray for strength for your family, especially for your dear mother whom you have left totally bereft, I know.
I pray for strength for those of us who were close to you.
Your passing away is like a searing pain, like a deep stab in the back of our hearts and souls - and I will hold it against you, Shubhanker, for the rest of my life.
And miss you for the longest time.
Coming at the end of a long year of heavy losses and at the beginning of a year when hope was renewed, you have dealt me a bitter blow. You, my trusted friend, who has held my hand through many a dark day. You, who have allowed me to offer you some strength and support during your troubled times.
Will I never drink your too-milky tea again?
Will I never again smile at your flashy shoes?
Are you never again going to try and talk me into colouring my hair or tell me to get down to my paper corrections?
Don't you realise that you are irreplaceable in my life?
 |
| Shubhanker Mitra |
No other has been a partner in the crime of whatsapping countless hours away.
And you said goodbye before even tasting my biriyani?
You.
You were a complicated man.
Difficult, moody and often stubborn.
You were a fun guy.
You were a kind, gentle, compassionate soul.
And though your advice hardly ever made sense and we often didn't see eye to eye, we always saw heart to heart.
You were utterly loyal.
A true mitr.
I don't know if you noticed but I wore purple at your funeral. Purple trousers and a blue belt.
It was a promise I was making to you, you who have won some battles and lost some more.
I promised you that day that whatever hand Life dealt me, I would hold my head high and live it up - just like you wanted me to.
I will make it up to you, for you.
I pray for strength for your family, especially for your dear mother whom you have left totally bereft, I know.
I pray for strength for those of us who were close to you.
Your passing away is like a searing pain, like a deep stab in the back of our hearts and souls - and I will hold it against you, Shubhanker, for the rest of my life.
And miss you for the longest time.
No comments:
Post a Comment