RICH Soul

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I was calling my mother almost every day to check his health. I also checked with one of the Doctors who did the surgery. As a routine, I called her yesterday.  She didn’t pick up my call. I was into my office calls and suddenly I saw a couple of missed calls. I could sense it. I called her back and her phone was engaged. By then my wife came into my room conveying that “He passed away moments ago”.

I had the opportunity to see him last week in the hospital as his condition was uncertain in the words of a Doctor. I had the opportunity to be with his elder brother. It was a touching moment when his 92-year-old brother kissed his forehead and hand and wished him recovery. I heard my 95-year grandmother telling someone how she missed him as she did not see him during her 95th birthday gathering. This time when we clicked photos along with grandmother’s siblings, I noticed the missing two brothers. One had passed 10 years ago and another was hospitalized battling for life. I learned about siblings’ love from my grandmother and her siblings.  I can imagine in this hour of mourning what they are going through. My sense of gratitude was for that “one picture” I took with all of them sitting next to each other in their home town. Shortly after that, all the pictures were incomplete.

He was a man of few words. He was there for his family and the extended family always. He would speak slowly but act wisely. Last month when I was in my home town, I had the opportunity to meet him. He was weak and was speaking less. I asked him whether he was reading any book just to change his mind.  His words rocked me as he knew inside that he was left with only a few months to live.

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My sense of gratitude goes to what he did for all in the family for being there for all of us. Whenever we needed him, he was the icon of support. I remember when someone in the family wants to find out our relative’s houses ( this was before Google, before the mobile phone, before any kind of phone) he was the go-to person. He knew all our relative’s houses and they all knew him as a gentleman with a big heart.

I am reminded of  Robin Sharma’s book, “who will cry when you die”? For this RICH soul, a lot of them. In a few hours, he will be cremated and I offer my sincere gratitude and tribute to a RICH soul and a role model to emulate for the rest of the family members. After all, nothing gold can stay!

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2 thoughts on “RICH Soul

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  1. A very heartening blog Vinod. The essence of life is how would people remember you when you die. This is captured so beautifully. Sometimes those small things done leave such a impact which is not even measurable. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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