Ramesh Halwai !!

It was 9:59 in the night and I was washing my clothes, normally I do it on weekends but I don’t know why it’s just struck me to do it now. My phone started ringing. I know it was from home. It’s a routine. My father never forgets to cal me. I rubbed my hand in towel and picket up the phone. I know there is nothing to talk but as I said it was routine. He just asks what did you do all day and I will also ask him the same question and both of us give the same answers to each other ‘nothing new here’.  Then as usual I told him ‘ok then’ but unlike every time he did not say ‘ok’ instead he went silent for few seconds. Before I can ask him again to keep the phone, he said, ‘Ramesh Halwai died’

My ears not even wanted to listen this, maybe that is why after listening it also I asked him again, ‘who?’ and there was no change in the answer, my father again said, ‘Ramesh Halwai’. He was his one of the best friends. The time I started seeing and understanding the world around me, he was there, as a friend of my father. I know he was not well these days but I was not aware that this was that fatal that can take his life. He already had two operations for his mouth cancer, but was fine, I visited him after his last operation he came out to even see me off.

‘Just half an hour before I heard that he was not well and now the news came that he is no more’ my father said again. There was nothing to say, what in the world I could have said. After few seconds of silence my father said, ‘ok then, good night’, before I could say good night to him the phone got cut. I knew it was not going to be a good night.

I went back to bathroom to wash my left over clothes, thinking that the guy who taught me how to eat with one hand was no more in this world and here I was, before the news washing cloths and after also washing clothes. Sometimes I feel that what we are achieving in our life? Money? Status? Life style? All these things are of no use when you are not present for someone who needs you, someone who loves you, someone whom you love and someone who cares for you. You are far away of them.

Ramesh chacha will always be in memory as I will never forget how to eat with one hand…