Friday mornings call should have never come…….
……………………..
“Chindi choor !!!” , that’s how I would start the talk usually.
“Kaminey!!!” And a fickle smile audible enough from the other side.
My turn and “kahan margaya re itne din se ?”
“Tu kahaan hai hateley” he would reply.
The answer would be followed by a lengthy, almost never ending talk with no head and tail.
“Hyderbad main aake bhi peecha nahi chodetere tum logaan, chain se jeene nahi dete ree!” , he would utter with a witty voice after getting vexed up of my nag’s.
“jeena kya beeta , marne ke baad bhi nahi choodenge !!!”, I would answer ,and what I would hear will be the smile turning to a laugh.
Never ever imagined that day would arrive so sooner.
………………………
An alert on the lappy woke me up on the morning of 14th November. It was quite a lazy morning being a MONDAY. But the sleep escaped the eyes at the reminder.
It’s his birthday, unfortunately an unhappy one for everybody acquainted with him. It took a while to get to reality that he was no more.
Memories are what am left with. A vaccumme occupied the thoughts.
I remember now, he never said NO ! Be it for a cup of coffee at 12 O’clock in the night or useless project discussion at 4 in the morning, and nor for the late night chatter in the corridor of the hostel from 12 to 4.
And when I caught him smoking I would shout “jaldi maregaa chindi choor”
“Tu bhi shurukar pina hateley nahi to tu tension se aur bhi jaldi marega”, was his answer with that never fading smile of his.
Identity of his own. A Brand.
A “Take for granted” person he was. Reach out to him, and he is there for you.
Memory takes me back to the time when I was in a critical time of submitting a prototype of my project. I was in a state of absolute frustration as the model was not taking the right shape.
A mechanical design flaw was destroying it. Middle of night I woke him up for help. And at a moment’s glace he was at work with me fixing that thing. We worked almost the whole night I remember and the next day was a relief for me.
“don’t even think of thanking – made me stay awake whole night for a f* small thing –“ he shouted out of the corridor.
“I will repay it dude- some time “- I replied.
“Yeah yeah- get me a cup of coffee for now “ was his answer with a tap on the back.
………………..
Time ticked faster it seems in the past two years. We hardly met a couple of time.
And just a week back I got a call from him asking if we could meet that evening.
It was almost 30km distance which needed to be traversed and he insisted he would come down on his bike.
“By the time you reach here, today will become tomorrow”. I said
“Next week on Saturday- I will come half way and we will meet there –“ I assured and he agreed.
………………….
A call to my mobile woke me up at an odd hour on the morning of THAT Friday. A quick look at the watch and it showed 8.20 A.M.
Unwilling I lifted …
“Bharath met with an accident on his way to office”, the voice on the other side trembled as it spoke.
“What !!!” - I dint believe my ears.
“He died while being moved to hospital!!!”
..............................
That call should have never come, I wished as tears rolled in my eyes.
Regret is what I am left with, for not meeting him on the previous Sunday.
Regret is what I am left with, for not meeting him on the previous Sunday.
A promise of mine would remain un-kept for life.
He left us in sorrow and despair on 11.11.11.
….. In Loving Memory of Bharath Vasi.
Friend,Guide, An Icon,The Brand Man
