Parashar..You have left us and its barely a day since then.But so many things about you are fresh as though it happened just yesterday.I knew you as a classmate when we were put together in class 8th due to some segregation.You were seated in front of me with another friend of mine.Rani and I were seated behind you.I remember you as a shy boy hardly a word out to the chattering magpies,that were me and Rani.I was actually fascinated by the half broken tooth that you had and had always wondered if you were born with that.You were always a looker on while we played pranks on our classmates or chattered nineteen to dozens on anything and everything.And intellectually far ahead of me which I found out every time in our maths class.I used to be bored with the long sums which went on for pages till you got the answer but you would go on and on, fully concentrating and finishing it which I would dutifully copy it from you without any remorse.You were the most gentlemanly of all the boys in the class.I guess you developed the trait from the books you used to read.
After the 10th std we all scattered and went away.Life's twists and turns took us far and wide and away from each other.And then the Facebook happened.Hooked on to the social networking after 34 years I started my journey of searching out all my classmates.Yours was the first name I began with.I really don't know why but I had this weird idea that being a Doctor's son you too would have become a doctor and I searched for days for Dr.Parashar Arwari,but it was all for nought.Then one day I got a call out of the blue and I knew it was you right away.You too were surprised(that you told me later) that I recognised your voice at the first go.
You also told me that you were surprised that I remembered you.How could I ever forget the quite gentle classmate of mine.Iam so glad that we met again a year back for the first time and 2 weeks ago for the second time,when we shared our thoughts,experiences and jokes.I was so proud of the fact that you led our forces in many important operations.We heard your love and passion for our country through your stories.You kept us spell bound with all your anecdotes.Cannot forget the night before we parted where we sat around singing old hindi songs with the sea behind us and the moon in the sky.It was around 2 am in the morning when we retired.Were we trying to make the time stand still??
Let me thank you once again dear Friend for bringing into fray many of our classmates,some of the most elusive ones too!!You bought us together only to leave us so soon.
Good Bye Dear Friend,you may be out of sight but never will you be out of our minds and one day we will join you!!!
Hi Rema! Hope ur frnd's soul rests in peace
ReplyDeletewell!! at last, am into your blog, dear rema...again thanks to parashar!!!! yes...apart from my lonavala trip another sweet memory is the night we sat under the coconut trees...you and mridula singing away with dear parashar, sanjiv, jason, manjeet joining in and me lazily swinging away in the hammock...with a slight apprehension in my mind....wondering what would happen first???....whether the hammock would give away or a coconut or two would land on our heads!!!....i mean it was such soul stirring music!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteoh dear...this is going to take some time to recover... dear parashar you had so much concern for others...just wish you had shown yourself at least a little bit....he was coughing and coughing away at lonavala, when i mentioned it...as usual just shrugged it off...hey parashar, am going to miss you my friend, surely i am...my two colleagues from vizag who met you are also in a state of shock...
but....yes...we will meet...and have our wonderful get togethers all over again!!!
Rema. .Thank u . .U said it all. .Have not got over this yet. .
ReplyDeleteParashar, I still remember 1979' when our parents came to see us off at the railway station for NDA. Little did we know we would be in the same 'K' Sqdn and the same Russian class, oogling at the same teacher. I still remember us studying by putting blanket on the wire mesh to prevent the light from showing outside and not getting caught, our josh run and loosing contact for a very very long time and then suddenly meeting up last year after 32yrs.
ReplyDeleteOur stay together at the resort and the meeting this year. Friend it was too early, you still ahd a long time to be with us. Our class will meet again, but it will not be the same without you. We will meet again, but I can assure you at every thing we do we will somehow remember your comments and your smile. Hope to meet you sometime.......
My dear friend Parashar,I wish we could relive together the life 43 years ago at Kochi wherein we were very close to the extent that we(Jason,Shankar,Vinod,Satinder, Sukhwinder,Suresh Kutty & I) would wait for you to alight from your Light Blue Standard Herald Car every morning at school.Your Mother's caring arms would ensure that you & Manohar got out of the car to be welcomed by us.You were a very quiet boy & came to the forefront whenever required(a trait which you carried on till your last breath).I remember, you would never flinch when invited for my Birthday Party.You were a favourite amongst teachers as well, especially Bhanumati Teacher.You brought me back to a group of people with whom you were a hit.Parashar,my joy to be with you during the later part of your life was short-lived(one day in Chennai in 2011)
ReplyDeleteThe irony is that we never saw each other after 2011 inspite of being in the same city.
You always advocated that our two families should meet,which to this day has not happened because of me & this mad world.Parashar,I knew you as a friend who use to alight from a light blue car & finally step on to undertake a journey to heaven beyond the blue skies.Parashar, "I HAVE MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP" till we meet again----
Madam ,just saw your offer, does it still stand ?pls contsct me at mohandasrema@gmail.com
ReplyDelete