An E MAIL TO A DEPARTED SOUL

An E MAIL TO A DEPARTED SOUL
P k Routray
My dear Sashi,
This is being sent through the mail ID you yourself corrected on this PC when you came to my home.
On third July this year you came and spent almost two hours with me when I was alone and my wife was away.You reached my house after making repeated mobile calls for ascertaining the location of my house. I never expected that the best graduate of my batch was driving the car himself to my house along the unknown route in the forestry part of Bhubaneswar in darkness. I swear, if I would have known this, I would have not allowed the same so that I could have avoided repenting to- day. I am nobody compared to you.You came yourself as Krishna to Sudama. who could have very well gone to meet you at your slightest hint.
You shared many things of your life with the same intimacy you had with me when we were studying engineering to-gather 45 years back, without caring for the presence of a witness, the young lecturer Mr Patra in my small reading room I felt as if you wanted to honor me with a proof for “ How much you loved me.” Really you have made me feel great. A lasting regard , a longing to treasure the moments and gratitude got imprinted in me for the rest of my life and beyond.
The talks were so frank and so friendly, I forgot that we were old and crossed sixty and retired with no use in the society. Mr Patra is the witness, when I did not want to part your company and on my request you continued to talk with your young days’ charisma. But finally we parted reluctantly. Did my sixth sense prompt me to intensify my request to you to stay longer and longer in your first and last visit to this unfortunate friend who will continue to cherish the proud moment of life for the rest of his life?. In my heart of hearts I did not want to allow you to depart. I felt the same love and pleasure of the college days forgetting all my worries and tensions. I winder at the depth of your charisma, that made Mr. Patra to cry when he knew about the incident of your sad demise. He was vividly reminded of your simplicity, illustration and direction to him for making correction in the PC in spite of short acquaintances with you.
We promised to meet frequently after your son’s marriage. Why did you promise to break it soon after? Did you become one time selfish? Indeed it was the very costly selfishness on your part towards us in this life.
Mr Sarat Mahapatra from USA remembers with nostalgia the days of your Fanchette call for probable questions, Lala is gazing at the group photos of all our Rathas. Padmaballav Jivan, Arun, Laxmidhar, Ramesh, Purkaista, Brahma, Patra, Gopal, Sidhu, Kailas, Nadia, Raju, VG, Asoka from Gyatri and others scattered all around the world are all shedding tears for you. I look blank with all my pleasant memories. Every body in the reception envied your magnificent personality in a suit without tie at your last appearance as if a tie could have still shortened your life out of seer jealousy of others. I remember my joke and the scene. When I asked to single out your wife from the crowd of ladies with a remark “ Who is Mrs Sashi madam?” she rushed identifying herself which indicated as if she would have torn all to pieces in any comprtition among the ladies to be your wife. Did her divine sense smell the catastrophe awaiting her and forced her of in her expression for identity?. This shows you’re unique and all round personality in all respects to keep her happy in all thick and thin of your life. After death while adding to our tributes to your brilliance, simplicity and aura of charisma, she added that you were a man of words slapping on your friends’faces because she knows you more than your friends. How did you become so cruel to her? She is yet to understand the loss; She is looking for your return from the factory. Are you testing her? Do you want more love from her, developed out of this separation?
You came to pick me up in 1985 to your rented house near Kerala state Electricity board in Trivandrum . I still relish the dinner and all the more cherish the great fortune and comfort as your pillion rider in the scooter.
You told many things, asking me to keep them secret even against my arguments. But I am sorry because immediately after your departure I told our Brahma confidentially one of your confidential disclosures on Madam i.e. pain in her knee. Perhaps you wanted to leave her exactly as she was given to you by her father and your father. I beg excuse for the N,th time having broken your confidence in me. But I am not breaking your secret of your loving care for your SAMUDUNI, which the poor lady shall not get any more.
You were born of a noble family famous for education and culture and married in a family with values. As anticipated by us you did not take any help or advice while sailing through the rough water of worldly realities full of vagaries and vicissitudes where neither logic nor faith holds.
You remained a man of values not caring a fig for becoming a man 0f success. Perhaps your understanding was “A successful man takes more and gives less.” You were a topper and best graduate of our university and you were also the topper of Orissa in higher secondary. You had M Tech from one of the best institutes of India, IIT Kanpur. Two of our batch mates,Mohan Rao, topper in electrical and Sarat. topper in metallurgy had M tech along with you but they migrated to USA in search of greener pasture and environment of their choice. But you did not and even did not heed to the example of trouble faced by your father-in-law. Perhaps your love to motherland was more intense .Hence you joined ISRO. Yes we think high of this organization as it has given a personality like Kalam to the country and had been told to be successful to frighten our enemies. But your high aspiration and expectation got disillusioned. You did not sacrifice value and prefered it to success.
Sashi, you were found having breathed your last on the floor. as if to indicate your love for earth and respect to billions sleeping on floor.
We remember your lively narrations, bluffs mostly fabricated by you and innocently delivered, funny lies GULIES to our amusement. Our envy on you got multiplied when we became certain that you would be the best graduate after Samant’s sad incident much before our final examination.
With each word above and in fact with each letter I have many hidden and untold stories and coronations to all of your acts which choke me with tearful pangs of separation and songs of tribute to you.
Sashi, you cannot go like this, your elder son is yet to be settled in life. You did not get up at his call as if you were not satisfied with his score of 99 as it is not 100. We friends with our families are waiting to hear your GULIES(Imaginary stories) which would have got variety with your long stay at Trivandrum away from us. Yes Sashi, you cannot go as you can not be unique in rudeness as the only father and father-in-law on the earth who has given the least opportunity to his newly married son and daughter- in- law to seek your blessings after marriage. You cannot go, the young couple is waiting for you to complete the ceremony.
Donot be unusually selfish for the sake of peaceful death where you took care not to disturb anybody. What for we all your near and dear ones and friends are there, if we cannot come to give you some balm in this life.
Your five brothers and two sisters must be repenting as because they did not get opportunity to stay with you as a joint family for an appreciable period of time.
You took charge of Sudarsan apartment ensured water supply to the inmates as your last act to prove your sincerity at the last moments of your life which was never in doubt. The inmates are looking for your return. Do not harass everybody.
Who so ever have got you, are lucky, Your parents and your wife, your sons , your brothers and sisters and we all friends are all lucky..
On receipt of the massage of your passing away, those who heard, some rushed to you with tears, some gave me a ring and some cried over the mail and became philosophical waiting for their early journey to you. Could you not have taken legitimate loan from our life and gave us your jovial company little longer for our pride? But you did not do.
All our activities, fums and frolics with you in the center at the REC campus, dance before me.
On 18th evening in your last celebration, you have given all your time to all your friends present in a corner of the hotel bringing down our age by forty years. Can we forget? Why did you do it?
It was not humanly possible on your part to go to each friends’ house by yourself driving the car to invite to be a part of your last celebration; You took all addresses Your phone call would have sufficed. Your posted letter would have brought all of us to you. Sashi ,come on come again, call us over the phone we all promise to be with you in your pleasant moment.
Now you must be enjoying with heavenly bliss with your friends MohanRao, Bidush, Sanjay, Prabhakar, Manu.Gokul, Sasmal, Padia, Pradipmadan Bibhuti with peaceful by your yntimly selfish end.but untimely selfish end. Please look at us below, how we are without you?
We all pray for you and your near and dear ones to have courage to bear the loss.
I am writing this mail to you to your personally changed ID during your first and last visit to my house, with a hope you will smilingly read it and bless
Your Unfortunate Friend
P K Routray

( A brief on Sashi and the incidence
(Back ground to the mail)
)Sashi Bhusan rath was the best graduate in Sambalpur university in1970 from REC Rourkela. He topped in Chemical engineering. He topped the higher secondary education of Orissa in 1965 before joining REC. The author was one among hus 250 other batch mates staying together in one hostel (Changed from year to year) in all five years. He was born to Baidya Nath Rath ex principal of Radhanath Trainig College the premier institute in training the teachers in Orissa and became a DPI and was famous educationist. His father-in-law was a space scientist.. Sashi was 2hd son among five brothers’ and two sisters. Sashi had his MTech from IIT Kanpur before joimig ISRO, Trivandrum and took VR in2007. Hr has two sons. On 18th July he gave marriage reception for his second son in Hotel Marion BBSR. He wanted to call all his acquaintances for the reception. As he was driving his car himself it was not possible to call all. But he gave maximum possible time for his frends after the reception at about 3AM he died while in sleep. He was staying in his house at Sudarsan apartment. He was president of the committee of the complex. He attended to water problem of the complex in the night after returning from the reception before going to sleep.
11 of batch mates had untimely demise since 1970
Against father-in-law’s experience, he continued in ISRO.
He was never satisfied when his sons less than 100.)
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