An Inevitable Journey

Way back in the mid 90s when I, a newcomer to the garden city of Bangalore, was looking around to find a social support system in order to make my transition from Kolkata to Bangalore, I was introduced to him.

Wearing the Chairman’s Jewel around his neck, a thorough gentleman with a thin voice, thinner hair and a very warm smile welcomed me to Bangalore North Round Table 25 and a feeling of homecoming engulfed me. S.R. Badhri, a senior in all ways, became a good friend. A friend, who may not visit your home unless invited but you know that whenever you will need, he will be there, standing next to you, extending his complete support to take you out of any adversity, maybe just using his warm disarming smile.

However, that, even if you need, will not happen now, it will not!

The smile is gone. The friend is gone. The man is gone. The inevitable and cruel hands of death have snatched him from us and taken him to the world where each one of us will eventually end up but the decision to proceed towards that destination will never be of our own free will.  

It will happen, one day, all of a sudden - almost, in some cases! There will be no choice. We will have to undertake the journey from this world to another, unknown world, leaving everything behind. Everything that we would have earned in our life till then – health, wealth, reputation, relationships… everything! And, it will not matter when this will happen. It may be any regular run-of-the-mill day or perhaps a special day for us and our loved ones as was with Badhri. The pitiless fate led to his funeral falling on the day of his wedding anniversary!!

My dear friend Badhri, next, we shall meet in that other world. Who knows when, but someday, for sure!

Rest In Peace!!