It feels as if one of my own family members has passed away. Such was his inspiration and impact on me, and it must have been the same kind of impact he would have passed on to enourmous people all around the world. He has been the hidden and inherent guiding force in almost all my thoughts and ideals. The very reason I interact with many students whereever I go (in the last four years or so) was through the example set by this very man. From his hairstyle to his intellectual efforts, he was something, someone so impactful and adorable. The First Citizen of India, and will probably always remain as The First Citizen of India. We have praised him, celebrated him, honoured him and did whatever we could, and I hope we could do more and more, to honor his ideals. The current generation did its best too to remember him, with its social shares or otherwise. He was probably the only person left so far who was not critized for something or hated for. What an achievement that was. I am sure he must have been content with his life all through, that’s the best way to live I guess. And with all due regards to all that’s achieved, what a way to live and what a way to die. Doing something the he does the best. Interacting with the students and future of India! I was happy, really happy to see he was delivering a lecture and then had his last breathe. I wish I could have some inch of a life like that and die like an inch of his death.
From the time of independence, we have been honoroing only the freedom fighters, most correctly, and I always wondered if we were unable to honor anyone more than the freedom fighters. There were always people who have achieved great things but always the freedom fighters stay on top. Now I think I found one man who can and should be honored at par with the freedom fighters. I honor him with the deepest of my heart, the way I beleived in our freedom struggle.
Indeed, he was and will be our family member as long as we beleive in this nation. And I sorrow for him as my own family. You have blessed us Sir. We are blessed.
God Bless Sir! Rest in Peace!
