Santok

It's strange that I feel the need to write about you. After all, we've met only twice.

The first time, I remember, was on the day I got married. The wedding ceremony had just finished; Arpit and I were yet to walk down the aisle together. We were surrounded by a group of people who were clicking away and documenting the first glimpses of the newly wedded couple. You were one of them.

I had my eyes open, but I wasn't really registering anything. Everything was a blur, until I realised that someone from the crowd was trying to get my attention. Focussing my eyes, I saw you, showing your teeth and gesturing with your hands -- telling me to smile.

I wondered who this random stranger was, someone I had never met before. Yet, I took the advice and managed to smile at the cameras facing me. I found myself looking at you again, when you gestured to me about Arpit's hair which the Achen had messed up during the wedding ceremony. You were telling me to tell Arpit to adjust his hair. I did as I was told. It was only later that evening, during the reception, that I was introduced to you by Deepasree (Didi) as her junior from school. We took this picture, and that was it.

I didn't see you again until eleven months later, when we were at Gifty Pani's (my husband's classmate) house. You had called, announcing that you were in the area and wanted to halt at her house. Who is this guy, who calls and says things like this, I wondered again! There, that was the second (and last) time we met.

I used to see your Facebook updates with the #meanwhilein...hashtags. I realised you travelled a lot, and that most of those travels involved attending people's weddings. I remember asking Arpit once about how you managed to get all that leave from work. I don't know why you did it, but it was nice to know that you took all that effort to be part of all these weddings. I, for one, find it really difficult to even make it to weddings of close friends (even in the same city).

Unlike a lot of us today, you didn't just settle for selfies and a groupfie with the couple on stage at the weddings you attended. It was evident from your Facebook page that you documented each wedding you attended in great detail, posting most of those pictures online. Believe it or not, yesterday, I scrolled down your timeline - all the way to December 2017 - to see what pictures you had posted from my wedding.

I remember, one time, you called Arpit - saying that you were coming to Chennai and that would be staying at our place. You didn't ask if you could stay, you just said you would. Unfortunately, we were travelling out of town during that time, so we said that wouldn't be possible, Unfazed, you asked us to leave our house keys with you!

Yesterday, when we heard the news that you were in critical care, it hardly made any sense. We couldn't believe it because we had just seen your posts from a wedding that happened a week ago! But it had all happened too soon. We passed on the message to several WhatsApp groups, prayed and hoped that you would be OK. This morning, when we woke up to the news of your passing, we were simply shocked to silence.

Santok Singh Bundela, until yesterday, I didn't know that you were not one of the missionary kids who studied at AN. I didn't know that you came from a place like Bacheli, that you were a boy who was given a chance that many others didn't have, that every one of the opportunities we take for granted were golden to you, and that you were simply making use of these opportunities -- to the fullest.

It's sad that you had to go so early, but I'm glad to know that you were so full of life and so unabashedly you while you were here.

RIP.