Undying Spirit

“Hello! Do you know, Mr Singh has passed away?” my friend was informing me over a phone call.

“Oh my God! when did it happen? Was he affected by COVID?” was my natural reaction. It was the time when we lost loved ones and known people to the deadly virus.  

“No, general old age aliments, I thought of informing you,” said my friend.

“Yes, I knew him, especially admired him a lot.”

My neighbour-turned-close-friend agreed with me. The deceased person was staying in the same apartment block as ours, on the seventh floor. Learning about his demise gave me mixed feelings of sadness and relief. I was a bit philosophical too- as his worldly sufferings have come to an end. And it’s natural to feel sad for losing someone you knew personally.

My mind went back to the days when I met him for the first time. We had newly moved to my current city. We were excited about the year-long moderate climate and cosmopolitan culture of the city.

We were also trying to enjoy every bit of our time in this big and well-planned gated community. In an evening, when I was going down for a walk, I noticed an old man waiting for the lift and a caretaker was standing next to him. The gentleman was in his late seventies, well dressed. At first glance, I found he was looking at me. I started to walk away from the lift. Then I heard a voice, “Listen, are you new to our block?” I looked back. The voice was louder than normal and somewhat commanding, “Come here.” Even though I was surprised at this type of behaviour, I just went near him, as respect for his old age.

“Yes, uncle, I live on the second floor,” I told him the flat number.

“OK, take this,” he took out a toffee from his pocket and handed it over to me.

“Thank you,” I uttered in total confusion and took it. In the meantime, the lift had gone up and come down again. The helper urged him to move. When they went inside the lift I noticed that he has a problem lifting his feet. So he takes very small steps while walking, even though he was standing so long without any problem. The helper was with him, but he entered on his own. Before the lift closed, I waved at him.

Down in the park, I met my friend and other neighbours. I was curious to know about the gentleman. All had a smile on their face while describing him. He was a retired Army Major, he had some medical conditions- difficulty walking and some bladder issues too. Every day he came down with his helper for an evening walk and he always had toffees in his pocket that he liked to distribute. So, the children used to call him “Chocolate uncle”. The style of commanding was probably due to his army background. The fighting spirit of a soldier on the battlefield was clearly visible in his attitude in real life.

Every now and then I met him in the walking track and near the lift, I used to greet him and go about doing my work. One day he asked for permission to sit next to me on a bench I was sitting and started talking about different professions, and enquired about mine. He also said that he is part of an endorsement, invited me to his flat, and introduced me happily to his friends and acquaintances who were walking or stopping there for a short conversation.

The society used to celebrate all the religious and national festivals. I have always seen him occupying the first row. And an enthusiastic old man would shout out all the funny remarks. Even though he finds it difficult to stand for long and walk, he would get up to shake a leg or start dancing in that sitting position with his arms up and cheer for others. He would greet and talk to most of the people in the complex- known and not so familiar. A child-like curiosity could be seen on his face near the food stalls.

He never allowed his disability or old age to be a hurdle. Sometimes, you could see him in pain, sitting on one of the cement benches meant for the walkers.

I slowly started liking his commanding style “come here” and treating me like a small kid. At times, I sang a song at his request.

He had manpower, money, a healthy diet and maybe, the best medical facilities at his disposal. Yet, he finally bid goodbye to this mortal world. He believed in the philosophy of living life as if there was no tomorrow. Life is a gift and each moment should be relished. His zest for life and undying spirit will inspire many like me.

*****