This morning started like any other pleasant winter morning - the warmth of the blanket too tempting to resist. Still, the day's routine had to be heeded - Snapping off the alarm which was screeching into my ears, steeled myself to face another working day, the last before the coming weekend.
Once I had left the bed, the daily chores got accomplished one by one like precision clock work. Breakfast was ready, the lunch cooked, lunch boxes packed, when the telephone rang.
I wonder how many of you have experienced it, but I have observed that the telephone rings differently when bad tidings are communicated through it. I had sensed something untoward but could not place the caller when I heard him. When he introduced himself as Chandramohan, I knew all.
"What happened?" "Dr. Saheb passed away last night at 11 o'clock." "So the last rites will be performed today?" I asked, to be told that it was all over in the early hours of the morning.
It was to me the end of an era. True, Life is a journey to death - there has so far been no other way a life has terminated, but yet when it claims someone you know, someone close to you, someone who had been relieved of the sufferings, - if he or she is dear to you, you wish them to live on.
He was no specialist, but he possessed rare skills for a GP. His patients never consulted a specialist, as they reposed the utmost confidence in him. His diagnosis was so accurate, that it never needed a second opinion. More than all, he was a very simple principled man - honest and hardworking. The spotless white khadi shirt and pant freshly ironed was his hallmark. Lately he had started to don an overcoat which added elegance to his outstanding personality.
Sir, we have always revered you and hope that today you will find peace at the end of your journey on earth and that your soul will rest in peace!
