whilst most of all are existing, there are few who are
living this wonderful life and obeying what has been told to them by the
consciousness!
Quite recently on my brisk walking contours near a park adjacent
to my home, I befriended my senior friend who has been living a simple and
quite life and is a regular in the park since time immemorial. A simple
"Namaste" lead me to believe that he was quite lonely and wanted a
companion to share his enormous wealth of experience he has earned. After quite
a few meetings, I was honored to be called at his home - having exchanged the addresses,
a meeting was fixed to be his pristine quest for the evening chit-chat.
The Curiosity in me lead me to take a stroll around his
dilapidated dwelling, to my amazement, the Octogenarian was at his witty best.
Having seen me to the core, he instantaneously recognized me and approached me
for a cuppa Tea.The beverage which I like so much became the catalyst point for
me to enter his one room set "Home" and he was quick to start preparation
for cup of Tea.
Talks unfolded and we started to know each other better in
lieu of killing time, which we both had to enormous proportions - for me being
a Saturday and for him every day is a holiday as he is living a retired life.
With each passing second, we started to know each other
better and it was then i first was introduced to his name " Narender
Gill". He had served the armed forces for almost 35 years and retired as a
colonel. He had vast talking’s regarding his life experiences and his postings
in the armed forces at distant places.
But a sudden numbness of time felt when we started to talk
about family and his personal life - as to why such a decorated soldier was
living the way he was living. to my amazement, Gill uncle was shattered beyond
his nadir as he started to talk about his only son and what life has offered to
him on the second phase of it!
Though well settled in USA , the son had abandoned his
father as he delved into the material life of the sought after. Mr Gill's wife
had already passed away and he was the lonely soul on this part of the planet.
He proudly started to talk about his medallions and other accomplishments which
he had obtained during his tenure in the Armed forces. I again bought the
personal life topic to the fore, he was reluctant to talk about that aspect of
life what he once termed as failure!
His liveliness and single-handed devotion to life this stage
is a source of inspiration for almost all of the locality - a fact I gauged
when I saw almost everyone wished him as he en route to park.
The only thing i wondered was what might have led to the
situation Mr Gill has found himself in? why was he abandoned by his only son?
As a new-found friend I see him lively, booming with life at 80+ age (Most of
us will not attain that, considering the life we are living by!).
As the deep thoughts engrossed me, I walked out wishing him
good evening and with a promise to see him next day in the park.
This wish of mine was brought to the zilch as in the next
morning i heard the sad news of his passing away in sleep. Call it a vicissitudes
of life, i will always admire the experiences he shared with him in such a
short duration of our friendship.
All i wish for him is that he rests in peace up there
showering his magnificence as he did on Earth!
