I lost a friend today. One of my class mates from my preparatory batch at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda. 1976. Like it was yesterday. But for twenty six years I had not heard from him. And then last year after I started my blog, voila, he popped back into my life; and through me reconnected with three other dear friends from the class of 1981. It was because of him that I recently signed up on face book; because he wanted to share photographs he had posted on his personal page and was too lazy to send them to my gmail account! So just for him I went into this "other" cyber world grumbling and fumbling along.....but as the photographs brought him back into focus within my life, time melted away and Joseph was back in the gang once again and time sort of stood still!
My three friends and I were planning a trip over to Malaysia to see him. The appropriate time slot within schedules of renovating homes, teaching in colleges, exhibition schedules and other mundane but time appointed chores that spell the routines we adhere to was the stumbling block to finalising a date till now. But suffice to say the delight of planning and dreaming and imagining the reunion with this old friend was the motivation that underlined the joy of this exercise and provoked us to keep it on the top of our wish list.
Today the message I received read: Joe passed away an hour ago. It's so difficult to take in....
Time sometimes cheats us in ways that makes no sense.
Joseph Fernz my dearest friend, rest in peace.
I met him a month ago. He spoke about you and your trip to Malaysia. He was all too excited. He dearest wish was to take time off and visit his friends and alma mater in India for 6 months. He was a rare Gem.
ReplyDeleteHis family is planning a trip to Baroda to release his ashes in the river there. They can be contacted at +6073539554
Lazar Thobias
Kuala Lumpur
Reading this post floods me with tears as I remember my own friend Leena, she a jew, me a muslim, we met in the early 40's when the jewish population in mumbai was fairly strong...our schooldays consisted mainly in bunking school as we both were more inspired to see Shyama, Nargis & other film stars shooting...& since both of us were gifted with fine looks & guts we had great times together.... as life continued, we got married, we got busy each one his own way, but the love we had never decreased... Leena had such a hard childhood that money was always her first priority, she worked hard at it & made it to the top....& geaographically, I went away very far. Then last year tragedy struck my friend, she lost her hubby, & with his departure lost her mind... among the last things she told me while lucid was 'mere paas sab kuch hai, phir bhi kuch nahin'...When I wanted to be with her the most, fate decided otherwise & I just couldn't make it...so I'll just whisper in my heart, 'hush Leena,don't cry we'll meet again just like during those good old carefree times when all that counted was the innocent love that we shared...i'll always love you'...BanooBegum.
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