Farewell, Rohit....May your soul rest in Peace

But I could have told you, RP....

This world was never meant for someone as beautiful as you...

What is it that determines a person's life span?

Is it his diet, his habits, the company he keeps, his upbringing, his genes, his work environment, stress, peer pressure? Or is it all of the above?

In that case, isn't it all like the working of a clock? A perfect assembly of gears and cogs all contributing to the smooth functioning of the body. All that energy flow, all that wear and tear, all that friction running in the background. But all we see on the surface is the smiley face of the clock, day in day out, tirelessly, displaying the time for all to see.

So, what happens when one of the cogs snaps? The clock stops working! In that case, you get it repaired - make minor adjustments or replace the damaged part if necessary.

And what if the damage is irreparable? You replace the timepiece altogether. It's as simple as that! Right?

Yeah! Sure....in the case of clocks.

Not so with humans, unfortunately! The human body is a perpetual working machine with many factors playing key roles in keeping its operation smooth and strong. If even one constituent shifts from equilibrium, as in the case of the clock, adjustments must be made to restore the body to normality.

But there are 2 primary distinguishing factors between the clock and the human body:

1) Time - Time is critical for the human body. The timely detection and rectification of any aberration is crucial. A mere minute's delay could result in a lost life.

2) Complete replacement - A clock can be replaced. A HUMAN CANNOT!!!

I know, I'm probably not making sense to most of you reading this or perhaps I'm stating the obvious to others....But, I really don't know what I'm writing here! My thoughts as I write this piece are hazy and nebulous.

I lost a friend today. A great colleague, coffee-buddy, bus-buddy and most importantly an excellent human being.

I met Rohit on 15th July, 2008, when we had joined JD as Trainees. Our interaction was sporadic. My significant association with him began only a month later when we started to work on the same project. Shank joined us too. We really bonded in that period. Partners in crime, were we!

A really bright lad. He had a lot of ideas. He had the urge to improve where there was scope for improvement. Always thinking out-of-the-box. Sometimes his ideas were downright cookie though...but that was the best part of hanging with him.

Rohit wasn't much of a conversationalist per se. He'd generally keep to himself. But he did open up if he knew you well enough or perhaps trusted you enough.

We'd often stay back late at work (working, of course) and head back home together in the same bus where we had some great conversations - shared our experiences - both personal and professional, musical interests, jokes.

On Friday, 28th August 2009, I hadn't met Rohit all day. I saw him later in the evening. He was passing by my desk. I was on a call and so we spoke through gesticulations. He told me or rather signalled to me that he'd be staying back late that day and so was heading up for dinner. I signed back that I'd be leaving early today and will catch up with him on Monday. We stuck our thumbs in the air - the universal sign of "Cheers, mate!" and he set off for the cafeteria.

I wrapped up my business and went home, happy at the thought of going home early on a Friday. Saturday was quite uneventful. Sunday was the same for the most part. And then at about 11pm, I got a call from my buddy - Swanand. When he didn't quite respond the usual way to my cheery "Wazza, bro??", I immediately sensed something wasn't right. The conversation was as follows:

Swanand: Hey man! You remember Rohit Patil, right.

Self: Of course, I do! Why?

Swanand: Yeah! Well....er.....he's gone...

Self: What? Gone where? (At first, I figured he'd probably left JD and gone back home or something)

But then Swanand completed what he'd begun to say...

Swanand: He's gone forever, man! He passed away today! Heart attack. Today afternoon. At his uncle's place. Very few of our colleagues were able to be there for the funeral. Not too many people found out about it in time. His father's come down here. His mom's no more. I know, man. It's really sad. Almost hard to believe.

Throughout this time I was busy interjecting him with "What?", How?", "When?", "Who went there??" and what not. I was struggling to make sense of it all...but I just couldn't!!!

Rohit! Gone! Just like that! How could this happen???

He was young, athletic, led a normal life with no bad habits. How could this happen? It sucks!

I tried sleeping on it. But I couldn't.....I mean...How could I?...after what happened. It just doesn't make sense. Does that mean there's really no telling when any of us could just pass away...just like that. Is life that fleeting? That temporary?

It really makes you wonder about the trivial things we worry about each day:

1) How's my hair looking today?

2) OH NO! I'm late for my Applied Mechanics lecture! Woe is me :( !

3) Dagnabbit! I ordered Diet Coke and they brought me Regular.

4) Aw Nuts! All my homies have original Adidas and all i have is a local make :( .

Do these things really matter if you might not get to see the light of day tomorrow? Do your possessions or a missed lecture make any difference? Do these mundane events have any meaning in the long run? So why bother?

Why not make each moment count? Why not spend more time with family and friends - with your loved ones - with people who really matter, people who'll remember you when you're gone....rather then wasting time worrying, burning the midnight oil in office, killing yourself over a passed deadline or an overdue assignment. Life's too short, guys!

Live your life while you can! Enjoy these few brief moments we have here! Quit focussing on the problems...concentrate on that silver lining. Let Rohit be the guy driving the snow-plough on the road....clearing it up for us to drive safe. Let him be our example, our path-definer.

They say the best way to judge a man's life is to count the number of people who remember and miss him when he's gone. I'm glad to say that Rohit certainly touched a lot of lives while he was here. The whole office maintained a 2 minute silence the next day in his memory. Our whole department spoke of him and his antics for the rest of the month. And I'll remember him all my life.

Goodbye, RP!!! Gonna miss you, bro!!! Peace!!!

Song of the Post:

Switchfoot - Yesterdays

(A tribute to my dear friend and colleague - Rohit Patil (RP) )