Basumitra Basu : Chennai, 21St. August, 2020. His home was in a different direction from ours. But still, on some days after school, Subrata used to join us on the way home, till a point, when our paths used to separate routinely. Yesterday, our paths separated forever, never to join again. We lost him to the dreaded disease, Covid, in spite of best of medical care.
Since then a train of teenage memories are continuously flashing in my mind. He was a jolly good fella, always smiling, who would allow us to have fun at his cost. He was the only one among us who had his own room at his home and we were always welcome there. That room had been witness to many of our innocent and not-so-innocent antics- we played cards and chess, watched football matches in the TV, chatted endlessly, even had some karate fights and broke a few things. Those moments added colour to our childhood.
He loved telling stories, sometimes even adding more masala than facts! Once when I caught him on the impossibility of the plot, he stopped, looked at me and said ‘Are you enjoying the story or not? If you are, then shut up and let me continue!” I had to let him carry on!
He was great fun to be with. In recent years we were not so much in contact, but that didn’t change anything about our time together and happy memories that we created. It’s not easy to accept losing a childhood friend, as a part of our own self is permanently attached to him and without him that part is lost for good. Such sudden departures are even more painful. As people leave, they chip away a part of us, never to be filled again. Life will sure move on, like waves crashing on the shore relentlessly, but we will miss you, Subrata and your smiling face. Rest in peace.
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