Viewing the video and reading ND’S article evoked a plethora of emotions.
Firstly the brilliance of Rohini and Mahen, not forgetting Lucky’s concept. This is a work of genius that needs to be preserved for posterity. ND’S article was the perfect complement. I have run out of words to praise him. Thank you all once more.
Secondly, my own mortality. I could not help but recall the words of the Greek playwright Aristophanes' words.”Your friends are not dead, but gone before; advanced a stage or two upon that road which you must travel in the steps they trod.
Lastly, sadness and despondency that I did not cultivate the friendship of many; their individuality and vitality now lost for ever. Some were very special, like Sunna whom I think of frequently. Some were good friends and acquaintances but many others I barely knew. Somehow my natural timidity and reticence to instigate the first move to make buddies especially amongst the opposite sex prevented me from having a wider circle of mates. I have no excuses except to say that maybe I was a different being then.
But we must be eternally grateful to Lucky and Mahen for the blog; Pram,Swyrie, Lucky and many others for the mini and mega reunions which have forged new and also cemented old friendships.
Viewing the photos was exquisitely agonising. From Sunna at the top to sweet Sue on the last page. They evoked many memories embedded in my mind and the innermost recesses of my heart.
KHALIL GIBRAN ‘S beautiful words seem a very appropriate conclusion.
When you part from your friend
you grieve not;
for that which you love most in him
may be clearer in his absence,
as the mountain to the climber
is clearer from the plain
Kumar
ReplyDeleteThank you for those encouraging comments. The Musical tribute is wonderful
Kumar, thank you for your generous observations. We have all changed and I am sure for the better! Your innate shyness hasn't stopped you from achieving so much in your life. Your frankness is remarkable! As we noted in our dialogues, your literary skills are appreciated by all of us. Keep positive and keep going my friend!
ReplyDeleteKumar, A more beautifully written acknowledgement I have yet to read.
ReplyDeleteWhat you have said to Nihal, I have said to him ad nauseam, and now say it back to you.There is such elegance in your writing.
We are very fortunate to have such accomplished writers to enthrall us in this blog.
Do keep writing.
“An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink” Keats from Endymion.
Kumar!
ReplyDeleteAvoir de la bouteille(literally,having some bottle)it means "The value,experience and wisdom that one gains with age"
I am usually a 'late bird' so I always 'miss the worm' but I am one of those people who are always busy, but I must admit that as I followed the progression of the Departed batch mades production, from the glimpses I got, I was fascinated and full of admiration for such talented members our batch is composed of. We ought to be truly proud to have been part of Batch'62 and now even more we should be thankful to lucky our leader for starting this Blog and not forget others like Mahendra and Rohini Ana, who at every point contribute in whatever way they can with their myriads of talents which we never had the chance to get a glimpse of during our Block days with 'signatures' and revisals and heads full of facts which didn't give us any room for anything else like writing articles, composing songs and finally this massive masterpiece of Remembrance Day post. Well done to all of you who were involved. It is so great to be your readers, friends and one time batch mates. I had tears in my eyes as the song went on with the brilliant lyrics by Rohini Ana and it really was an experience I wouldn't have missed and I know that we have given our batch mates who have passed on a truly fitting tribute. Congratulations to all of you and Lucky we owe you a lot and may your efforts to keep the Blog going always meet with success. All the best from: Zita
ReplyDeleteSorry my comment is so late but better late than never !
ReplyDeleteI want to place on record my heartfelt thanks to Lucky who initiated The Remembrance Day and Rohini and Speedy who made it come alive with their beautiful contributions of poetry and music. We are indebted to you all
I don't mind confessing that I got tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat as I gazed at our beloved departed friends. So many fond memories kept flooding back. I am glad that I was able to bond with most of them. We are all truly blessed to have walked beside them even for a short time in our Life's Journey.
Thank you Kumar for your quote from Khalil Gibran who is one of my favourite poets. Suri
!
Suri
ReplyDeleteGreat to see you on the blog after a long pause. Do please share your thoughtfull comments with us.
Posting on behalf of Kumar as a response to Rohini's comment:
ReplyDelete“Thank you Rohini for your magnanimous comment.Coming from such an erudite and well read person like yourself it was high praise indeed.Your choice of Endymion for the conclusion was serendipitous.The opening lines could have been written for you.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever,
Its loveliness increases,
It will never pass into nothingness....
Fascinatingly John Keats was a Medical Student at Guy’s Hospital who chose to become a poet and not a surgeon.His death at the age of twenty five from tuberculosis and despair was a catastrophe for English poetry.He was like a blazing meteorite whose shine lasted only too briefly.But his unhappiness is echoed in the epitaph he wrote for himself. "Here lies One whose name was writ in Water”
Likewise Sunna was a shooting star whose death still haunts me.He enriched our lives so much in that blissful year in Galle; the happiest year of my professional life.
Kumar, As always a lovely and very generous comment from you- thank you- How will I ever strive to deserve this !
DeleteYou picked the right words to describe Keats too- Shelley picked the same !
Keats having been very handsome, Shelley’s Elegy on his death ‘Adonais’ was after Adonis, as you’d know- to quote-
“ The soul of Adonais,like a star,
beacons from the abode where the eternal are.”
Sunna too as you said was a shooting star who appeared briefly and disappeared too soon.His sudden demise I found hard to believe and very distressing. His caring ways, his forthright honesty, his mischievous, witty repartees will live in my memory forever. It was a privilege knowing him in Galle where I met some very lovely people !
Kumar, I cannot claim to be an expert of English Poetry but one thinh I like about Keats is his ability to "paint a picture" with words, as for example in a passage in Endymion:-
ReplyDelete"About old forests; while the willow trails
Its delicate amber; and the dairy pails
Bring home increase of milk. And, as the year
Grows lush in juicy stalks, I'll smoothly steer
My little boat, for many quiet hours,
With streams that deepen freshly into bowers.
Many and many a verse I hope to write,
Before the daisies, vermeil rimm'd and white,
Hide in deep herbage; and ere yet the bees
Hum about globes of clover and sweet peas,
I must be near the middle of my story"
My feeble attempts at doing this is reflected in my poem "English Countryside", from which I quote these two verses:-
The trees become taller, majestic too
Glistening beams breaking through,
The leafy roof top, that covers so well
Grander than a citadel
Light up my path so serene
Pierce my soul, calm sets in
A rabbit darts and disappears
A lamb dancing, skipping appears
Then cuddles to mum for suckling
Tail now furiously waggling
In this wonderful countryside
So free, such beauty, I do confide"
Kumar, thank you for this elegant tribute to those who have left us. and I join you in in thanking those who conceived and created this 'Remembrance Day' song and essay. We are indeed blessed with much talent on this Blog. Thank you all for the beautiful poetry quoted above which have been tucked away in the deep recesses of my memory. (And also for the newer contribution by Mahen.) Kumar, like you, I think about Sunna quite often. You and Rohini spent time with him in Galle, but I had the privilege of getting to know him well later in Brooklyn, NY. He was a frequent 'drop in' at our tiny apartment in NYC. I still remember the night I heard of his death. It is seared in my memory along with the memories of other traumatic events in my life. I remember that there was a violent thunderstorm and that I didn't sleep a wink that night. He was a unique, gentle character, and will be remembered by all of us for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kumar for those memories. Sunna was in my life in the Faculty. Sadly our paths never crossed later on. I remember his quiet charm and his wit and humour all with a poker face. The Common Room was his stage where he joined in those hilarious conversations with Lubber and Chanaka. They were priceless and a welcome change to the toxicity that surrounded us. He was thoughtful as he was kind. We all lost a good friend and the world lost a caring doctor. May he find eternal peace.
ReplyDelete