A Fading Dream

A fading dream
(On death anniversary of my child hood class mate, friend Sangram Mishra)
P K Routray
Sangram! Before a long painful year
three hundred sixty five dark nights earlier
snatched you away untimely by the cruel fate
at a premature age with incomplete targets you did set.
Time fails to move on the face of pang of separation
with increase in intensity of love and attachment, it does worsen.
For your daughter and mother even a moment of separation
looked once as ages as all of you used to stay in continuous communication.
As if on a sudden tour you have gone
after your tasks are complete you will return,
we along with your dearest daughter and madam look on,
you have gone to other world that as we mortals have forgotten.
The scripture tells us the soul is immortal “I”,
the body is the garment supposed to wear out and die.
After leaving the body either the soul merges with super soul
which is called liberation and is the soul’s ultimate goal
or It takes birth after birth with good deeds to improve upon one’s position
and from the penultimate position with best deeds one leaps for emancipation
Your past deeds are sure to have brought you this birth nearest step to liberation
Your role as Sangram with many noble deeds has been well done,
Either you must have merged with the ultimate, the super soul
or you must be one step below your final goal.
As your class mate, friend, subordinate, colleague, and peer
I have the right to play fight praise, criticize, eulogize and envy you either.
Take it as a letter but do not bother for us or for your dearest dear
we only look for our comfort and wellbeing as selfish we are sure.
even if your own are bereft of your love and battered by your separation ,
do not swerve having gone close to him as per his desire and direction
Our philosophy will teach us a practical true lesson
as mother snatches poison from her dearest baby even if it cries on.
As in mortal world you always stayed steps ahead of me
for the life after death moving towards ultimate goal ahead also remained thee.
Hey Sangram! You were tenacious graceful and equanimous
we still feel your dynamic personality around us
Whenever in trouble we needed you to tide over the crisis
Always you were there over phone or in person to discuss.
Your earthly accomplishments must have fetched you the august company
or are you a prize winning baby in mother’s arm acting funny?
Whether God in the super chair have put on your head a prized crown
to handle his utopian projects which his trusted ones have closed down,
Or he might have sent you again to earth for protection of his creation
Which is battered and mutilated and on its way to sure destruction
Your soul must be smiling in the heaven in new attire
around you must be vying for you many a fairy or vampire
chewing betel with cigar in hand and with your princely walk
you must have divine companion to discuss and talk
In dream I heard a murmur from your subordinate angels
You are there hardest task master with uninterrupted working spells
You seem to be catching hold of their chiefs at any point of day
and then discuss for hours your plans and chalk out the strategy on the way
Your chariot driver always searches you to trace you as fails his computer,
And he is uncertain of your plan, time and rout in just near future.
We at times get fed up and murmur for your measure of distance and time,
but you proved otherwise as with one jump you reached height sublime.
We egoistically attribute a part of your success to betel and tobacco management
caring a fig for it you managed with style of your management risking your health to great extent.
Without giving any heed to your own loving own family doctors’ advice
We hear your family battle deliberated in three languages Odia, Hindi and English.
Languages, pitches and tones vary as per crisis and then position in the family
as culprit remains no other than you, hence in general you surrenders meekly.
Subash makes its caricature where you always lie low to five of them
ultimately you ignore their verdict and did as per your own when time came.
Now you may not be our mortal Sangram in your new role
But in our dreams while awake or asleep we search for Sangram, you stole.
You were a true dreamer and dreamt for the country and company
dreamt for brothers and sisters and also sister in law’s family
dreamt for your daughter and her mother but time,you gave a little
one of your dreams was the dream for Damonjodi and the tribals to smile.
You created and nourished Bokaro, Nalco and Mital steel
at the end till your last mortal breathe for RSB with Sangram’s unique zeal.
Nobody will forget you and your all around contribution
to the plant, to the society, to the environment and to the poor needy billion.
Your innate traits were happiness and harmony
be it mother’s family, wife’s family or families in the company
An aura of dynamism, grace and urge to surge ahead
Your presence, self confidence and inspiration always did spread.
Do you not remember us also Madam Shanti and Pinki, your dear daughter
Nephew Babu’s fight and sister- in- law sneha’s and crying mother?
Your brothers and sisters are looking for your order and advice
with your motivation only their companies did flourish.
I remember you with half pant and bare feet in class ninth at Dhenkanal
a cute boy in teens with charisma to capture frienda, foes and teachers all
Your reputation was sky high where ever you did go
to your truthfulness and dedication we always bow.
You were tenacious and equnimous on this mortal earth
Matured, judicious and clear thinker since your birth.
Your meteoric rise in academic career after an insult over a casual remark
Is worth cherishing an example where with your tenacity you could embark.
Please take me to your Employer; your certificates to show
I only can tell the facts about you as a friend better than anybody, they know.
As a childhood friend I certainly know you even much better
not known to your Madam Shanti who came to your life much latter.
On your tribute a few of your acquaintances recorded their grief
It was more than the contents of big epics even each was in brief
Our first cmd Ramachandran was awe struck with wonder by such down pour
he had to ask as to whether such a man had never existed earlier.
For reasons unknown, in your absence not even telling hello to your dear ones is my grievous omission,
as in Damonjodi where you fired me for such lapses, I once again deserve to listen as a repetition.