It was a very strange relationship .Spiritual in some ways – infact in many ways . I never ever met Vishwadeep .He was a Facebook friend of mine and by his admittance – a fan of my blogs .He introduced himself to me one day in 2011 and asked me to add him to my friends list ( since my friends list already had 5000 friends on it ). I asked him as to who he was and he replied that he was the first cousin of Akash Lamba who was a ace tennis player from Rai and who is also a great friend of mine .I cross checked his profile and came to know that what he was saying was the truth .In addition , I also came to know that he was a medical student at the Aurangabad Medical College .
I deleted one of my “friends” , and added him to my friends list .From then onwards ,Vishwadeep officially became my friend !!
He wrote to me often .I came to realize , that he was a different kind of human being – deeply academic at one level and deeply spiritual at another .He was deeply disturbed by starving children in Somalia as also the need for self actualization . He also wanted to make a mark as a doctor . He wrote once
“Sir please help me .I need some advice” ( dated 23 /8/2011).
I replied back “Pl let me know how can I help you Vishwadeep” ( 24 /8 /2011)
“Sir , I am in my final year of MBBS and want to do my Post Graduation from the US .I am well versed with the whole process , but still anxiety troubles me”
My reply was prompt “Arrey , don’t be silly .Why should you have anxiety .Have faith in destiny.Nothing can change that .And don’t worry – US is not the be all and end all of life .Life is too precious .Dont waste your prime worrying about the future about which you have no control .Enjoy the present”.
His reply to enjoying life by getting out of the trap of anxiety merits a thought .He had written
“I know Sir ,but just cant help it .Here at this point , being highly personal with you , I want to tell you that this feeling had aroused in my mind after I recovered from my illness .Sir , I suffered from blood cancer back in 2007 – 2008.Since then I am overcautious about everything .I lost one academic year in treatment”
My words were chillingly prophetic .Vishwadweep passed away last year (2016), in September .I came to know about it yesterday when his mother who operates his facebook account wrote to me that they had lost their only child due to viral pneumonia .He was a a leading eye surgeon at Aligarh
He was a gentleman .His mails reflect that trait .In one mail he wrote a request .He quickly qualified it with a rider .This is what he wrote .
“Sir , a personal question to you .What would you do , if you were given a second chance to live your life” .(And then – so sweet and sensitive !!). “ Please don’t take me wrong.U r still more energetic …..and enthusiastic … than a youth. I would like to read a blog on this topic …plz Sir , make us feel honored .Best regards” ( Dated 29 /10 /2011. 23.35 pm).
I did not reply .I was in Vancouver those days and caught up with travel and short of time and energy !I never wrote the blog that he requested for :(:(:(:(
Time does not stop .One needs to be careful that it does not devour you .It will eat you up as a hungry lion would a chicken if you work and work and get involved in in chasing and getting into relationships that cant look beyond material things . Between 2012 to 2016 – time devoured me . Fortunately , it did not dent my relationship with someone who I never met or talked on phone . He had the quality of never giving up on people . Vishwadeep would write to me regularly . He would ask my opinion about everything – about the caste system , about people starving in Somalia , about which sentence of English was correct ( since he was writing a paper !!), about one word when people cry in joy ( in his own words “ like Yuvraj cried after winning the world cup”), about a quote of Alex Fergusson the celebrated manager of Manchester United who he quoted
“Never go to bed with a doubt” . But what he wrote next shows why he was such a darling . “ When I see him in action I also think of you as how much dedicated you are with your work like him .I wish you good health Sir”.
Sigh!
He got married .Very ,very surprisingly he did not inform me . The quantum of his mails had started decreasing .Maybe , the young man had got struck by Cupid ? And had got involved !
The last prized mail I got from him was on 6/6/2015 12.22 pm( more than 2 years ago ). He wished me on my Birthday .Jocularly ,I had written somewhere that I would like a Mini Cooper as a gift for my birthday.!! And this was his way of wishing me
“Mini Cooper sir .Happy B’day”( there was a small sticker of a Mini Cooper car )!!
Vishwadeep left this world on September 2 ,2016 .He was from Bharatpur ,and his father is a retired Professor of Botany .I have been in constant touch with him and understandly , I can feel the pain that he and his wife are enduring after losing their only child .We always talk about the brave survivors of wars , cancer ,other diseases etc . We seldom talk of the survivors who lose their young .They are some of the bravest men and women in the world .
As for Vishwadeep , his going away from my facebook page – does not end my relationship with him .He is the only one who has hurt me so deeply inspite of me not having met me even once . I don’t know why – but it feels like I have lost someone who I knew for a lifetime .
That’s what make his relationship with me so spiritual .I refuse to believe it has ended with his death .Infact , I feel very strongly that it has just started .I cant believe , I will not meet this wonderful and seminal young man somewhere.We shared so much – the circle has to be completed .Perhaps not in this world .But somewhere else .
And when that happens -I know he will gift me a real Mini Cooper !!.And I will show him a blog which I will be writing for him titled “ Vishwadeep –This Is What I Would Do If I Were To Relive My Youth”
