Death brings sorrow to the
survivors of the departed, but it also brings to life the dead person by way of
memories.
The memories make one cry and
laugh, depending upon the kind of memories that come to life.
The advantage of memories is
that they do not die, sometimes they do not even fade. This realisation comes
when one loses some close to oneself.
That is what happened with
Saroj's going away. She has gone in the physical form, but remains in memories
of all those who met her.
Never born, never died is what
is said about Osho. In his case, it is stated that he visited the earth in the
given period.
But lay people do not know from
where our dear ones have come and where they have gone. Some speak of the soul
(atma), which comes from another world and goes back, after the person's
demise.
For a rational mind, each one
of us comes from the mother's womb and ends up in the five elements.
Even before a person is born
physically, s/he is born in the minds of the parents to be and all others who
await the baby's arrival.
On the person's death, only the
mortal remains dissolve into the five elements, deeply engraving memories in
the minds of those, who loved the departed person.
This is what happened to many
when Saroj left us at the start of the Bramha muhurt on September 25, 2023.
A religious person, not tied
down in the web of rituals, she seemed to have chosen the date and the time for
her to leave us.
She did follow rituals on a
daily basis, but those were carried out according to her choice and convenience.
According to the Panchang, she died on ekadashi, which fell on a Monday and the
time of the end of her life was 3.03 am.
During her life time, she won the hearts of many, not just relatives and friends, but service staff at different places and the under privileged.
No wonder many came to pay their tributes either at the funeral or after.
In her school days, she was a renowned kho kho and kabbadi player; both the games require good stamina and an agile body and mind. That was how she was in later life. She moved quickly to help those in need, ensuring that the help was kept a secret.
She believed in helping out liberally. Whether it was about goodies during festivals or financial help to students.
One question she would ask me was do we have money in the bank, though she was told never to ask that question, so that she did not take stress on that count. But lack of finance did not bother her. Her query about the money, meant that either she wanted to help someone or give a good gift to somebody; it was never to buy something for herself.
A voracious reader at one time, she later switched to television debates and YouTube channels, to keep abreast of things happening in the world. Those who knew her well, would always state that she was well-versed with latest information on a variety of subjects ranging from sports to politics.
Inside her was a hidden child, who was innocent and who trusted everyone.
She was never keen on celebrating her birthday, but probably the only time she celebrated her birthday, was when she was in the ICU in 2023. The doctor attending on her mentioned to her that she should have been at home on December 31, celebrating the New Year eve, instead of being wheeled in to the ICU of the hospital.
At that she gave him her hearty laughter, making the doctor ask, if she did not like to celebrate the New Year. To which she replied that it was her birthday that day.
Soon the doctor wished her on the occasion and he was followed by other doctors and staff.
Next minute, she forgot that she was admitted to the ICU just a while earlier, in a rather serious situation, and asked me to fetch cake for all. Needless to say instructions were given about the type of cake and from which branch of a franchise.
When some staff members said that they had more than one slice of the cake. She told them not to worry about the quantity.
For the next few hours, I was sent four times to the bakery to get the cake, so that all staff members in all the shifts, got it.
Time will not fade the memories. We may shed tears in her memory, but her ever smiling face will always be on the top of our mind.
Always missing her.
