"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." ~ Albert Einstein
Today is Friendship Day. It is also the 4th of August. I remember the 4th of August as my best friend’s birthday. A true friend if I had one, Anna Rao. I wish he were here and I could personally wish him as I have done for so many years. Alas! This time around, he is not physically present to answer my call, thank me for the wishes! He is, perhaps, in the Kingdom of God. “Away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
I remember Anna as a shy, unassuming, loner. We met in the year 1979, in Delhi. At first some of us -his colleagues- were distraught with this guy- keeping aloof, sleeping most of the time, with a pillow placed over his head, to drown the sounds emanating from outside, perhaps. We wanted this guy out and fast. But he stayed put and we soon began to like him. Over a short period of time, I noticed that we got on well together- we had the same taste in music, movies, books….
These similarities perhaps goaded our friendship to a higher plane and soon we became quite inseparable. Discovering previously unheard music, digging deep into the archives for unread stuff and watching the latest releases at Chanakya and Archana cinemas became a favorite fad. We were together except when our work schedules were different.
Years went by, we were separated geographically, but yet we remained connected. Through regular hand written letters, occasional cards, or a rare telephone call. By the summer of ’85 I was posted to Bombay. In a few months, to my pleasant surprise Anna got posted there too! And once again we were together, and though I was married by then, our bond only strengthened.
In two years’ time, we split again. I went on to Calcutta and then returned to my home in Bangalore. Anna moved on too and finally he too got back to his home town Madras, by then rechristened as Chennai. He was married too and it was fun visiting each other whenever we could.
Towards the fag end of last year, Anna spoke with me over the phone. He sounded rather unusual, dwelling on a few trifles back home. I took it a bit casually- maybe it was one of those moods. Perhaps I should have heard him out. Perhaps I should have visited….
Sounds fine on hindsight, but it was not to be. In early February this year, Anna moved on from this life. He died just the way he lived all his life- being too good to those around him. He always lent a helping hand or shoulder, unmindful of any discomfort it would cause himself. He was forever ready to take that extra bit of effort to placate people who were in any kind of anxiety.
To transcript 34 years of friendship in words is not an easy task- the silence we shared itself would run into several volumes. Thus, attempting the task here would be futile. I write these few words just to start believing that Anna is not in our midst, physically. I shall not miss him because I know he is around me, somewhere. Only he is silent. And I also know he is doing what he likes best- being a Good Samaritan.
5 comments:
Very difficult to find a friend like Anna, he was a gem of a person, anyone who has met him ever will never forget him. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you Mashai for sharing this tribute to our dear friend.
The above comment is by Charles Emmanuel
Really we miss him. Great person and I remember those memorable days at Mumbai.
There are only a few guys one encounters in life like Ann. Unmistakably genuine and grounded as one can ever be. We all miss him terribly so also Kim. I am sure both are better off than us during these times down here. Sleep well friends we all miss you.
The above comments are from Frank the Monk.
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