Padmanava –You stayed young

Padmanava –You stayed young

P K Routray

 

 

Fickle smile,

Poise I’ll,

glance mobile

as if guising a wile,

ever agile

with his own style

etched his frame in our heart

as Padmanav in his mortal cart.

Vanished untimely from the earthly scene

a loving chum to his classmates since a teen.

with a plethora of sweet memories to cherish

“Padmanav at the center, with deeds ticklish.”

Stout built

steadfast never atilt

short in height

the sky was his limit

in scaling over the snowclad mountain,

in sailing across the swelling ocean,

excelling in merit on paper and pen

exclaim it, his classmates with amen.

Humility or vanity

to us, is Padia sweetie

never proud of his noble origin,

never humble of the urge within

he vacillated between two extremes

accepted we him as a man with self-esteem.

Being brilliant in the academic career

and all-round success with no peer

he could have aimed at anything

many stalwarts in family, him, guiding.

He chose to defend our nation.

Cherished it, he perhaps as his life’s mission

sacrificing, at abroad, his Harvard education

and thus rising to aim at the moon and the sun

or service with many at his beck and call.

or a service excelling many amassing a fortune tall,

“How great was he!”. We old understand now

to him, we, all his classmate knee bent, bow.

Tell proud Padmanav, fifty years younger

to his classmates now cleared of the blur

“In this life, you have missed the bus

to serve the motherland – a service wondrous.”

Proud of Padmanav is our Alma- mater,

her history will sing the glory forever

Proud, privileged are, we, his classmates

feeling his absence we curse our fates

He would have been a mascot, wonder

to revive our drooping spirit at this exit hour.

For heroines on the silver screen

beat our hearts, then at our teen.

Gossiped them over, we together

some worshipping their framed picture.

To our awestruck wonder

with jealousy and pride mixture

Padmanava during his service career

made a friendship over drinks and dinner

with a famed heroin and boasted to us

over a smoky party with his usual fuss

challenging, he is not afraid of his consort

such spouse- irking deeds he repeats a lot

not being afraid like husbands, henpecked

nor like those, to their consorts who usually genuflect.

Costly cigars and drinks of rare origin

enjoyed with him we friends some as a virgin.

At the sight now I reflect with much logic

baffled I am at Padmanava’s perplexing trick.

Born in a family derisive to drinks and cigar

as a teen in the hostel from these he was staying far

his colleagues at navy must have forced him

to please them he endured this shift of paradigm.

For the injustices practiced in his defense setup

his self-esteem rebelled in him to swallow up.

Parted he with V R from the job

but staying at Goa for NAVY he proved his love.

His appetite and aptitude for learning

made him student proving the null effect of aging.

Remember we, Padmanav at our Alma-mater

since ragging days crawling, ball dancing together

his whole night concept for me was a failure

but his ghost appearance is now a revivifying laughter

peeping at midnight through the skylight with a blanket cover

refrained some from making whole nights

slept they early in fear, switching off their lights

to discuss on ghosts of students of earlier years

or the ghouls from the proximate graveyard after their dears.

His arrogances were divine,

his jealousy as a student was genuine,

his anger made his grace benign

his lusts were natural to teens were fine.

his attachments, we never did malign,

his all vices were virtues, we friends opine.

But Padmanav at fifty,

can we admonish at seventy

for abusing his health listening to none

robbing of his near and dears living fun?

The pains, pangs and strife

endured he boldly in his life

some by injustice in the service field

some ill fate harassingly could yield

His pains, frustrations leading to anger

at times broke his calm composure

but tolerated he with the nerve of steel

after all his submarine life parted such skill.

His close-knit family bondage

displays his loving image

In him his daughter-in-law

a father and friend, she saw.

He had a divinized nuptial knot

getting Sanjukta as his consort

as if both were bonded in heaven

Alas! Short-lived was their fortune.

With the departure of their architect

the whole clan got wrecked.

But bravo Sanjukta accepted it

as on her the Lord’s lethal verdict.

She kept up the love of her spouse

operating alone from Goa with little grouse

to serve the needy as her only mission

under her hubby’s direct inspiration.

Hey Padmanava! Since fifteen years

at a younger age leaving all us in tears

you have been snatched by the providence

as if to keep the mammoth creation in balance

to free you from this earthly weal and woes

with peace and bliss to Lord, you must be close

but we feel, often you peep in our hearts

ashamed we are for our wrong deeds and crafts

“Hey, Padia! listen to my song

lying latent in an ached heart all along

to express gratitude and feelings

complaints thoughts and cravings.

from your classmates in particular.

Sure, all names and faces you remember

but names remaining the same

altered are their mortal frames

almost all at the mercy of doctors

with limping organs, some even needing donors.

some are at the mercy of their kith and kin

burdening too much with hatred breeding in

our greed and attachment laugh at old age home

we prefer with sticks with the spouse to roam.

Some friends caring a fig for the age

stay engrossed often on the pleasant voyage.

some search partner to fill up the void

the loneliness of old age they can avoid.

some braving their ailments and age

are after fortune and fame with courage.

Lust, greed, anger, jealousy, attachment, and vanity

still, rule your aged classmates devoid of maturity,

Thirty of us have succumbed to lethal diseases

yes, your tears from them still we asses.

you are lucky to leave young and fit

tell your untold stories to our benefit.

The photos of your classmates will bring you laughter

but your all photos like you had not aged older.

Some of us have not forgotten our bondage

meet, jump, sing dance with spouses forgetting the age

some have changed and have forgotten the rest

with their better halfs and grandkids, they manage best.

The world is fifteen years older

since your premature departure

but for you, the aging hearts long for

cherishing the days you, being at the center.

Recollect I your reception

to me and my spouse at the station

for my only visit to Goa at your call

cherishing it my tears fall

your warmth shared by your wife

an unforgettable moment in my life

the cruise at sea, the gossip at Goa beach

naval club and there to you the greetings from each

dance on my memory ever fresh and alive

carry them all like the warmth of friendship till we live.

Same is the story with all of your classmates

each cherishing you with him in deranged mental states

some talk of you as school mate

fighting in the classroom and winning a debate

some remember you as a roommate

parting your knowledge to them in many a subject

some talk you after days at alma-mater

with praise your friendship they adore.

Cherish I your madam’s displeasure

many years after your departure

when I introduced her

as my colleague's sister

not as the madam of a departed friend

the love I dented to offend.

Since fifteen years your warmth and charisma

time could not dent in with all its melodrama.

Only The Lord knows why did He take you early

leaving us rotting with an artificial smile waiting to flee.

 

 

(Padmanava Mishra was my classmate wef 1965 to 1970. he left for his Heavenly abode 15 years back. But his warmth of friendship still is cherished with pain and tears.)