DEATH AND GOOD MEN

I am not speaking of him because he was my uncle, but because he was what he was in his own capacity and because of his exceptional moral uprightness, courage and extraordinary sense of humour. You can’t help falling in love with his persona, such a charismatic man was he. He started in the army as a major and reached the rank of colonel. His loyalty and love for his profession was unquestionable. But somewhere down the line, he must have felt the subtle force of politics affecting his morale and he was not a man to compromise with his principles. He must have stood by his love for his country and the organization that ensured the safety of the people of his country to a breaking point, then the crusader would have thought of quitting. Also, his old mother was eternally sick and he would have thought of standing by the family and serve the nation and his own conscience some other way. After opting for voluntary retirement from the army, he sought employment in many renowned private and government institutions. But being a man of strong principles, he couldn’t work very long in any of these because of the sloppy and compromising attitude of all these organizations. Last he was working in Odisha Govt’s disaster management cell; when he died in a mishap.I think he would not have got much pain while he died as it was a very sudden death.
He was a man, around whom no one can remain gloomy or sad. His hearty resounding laughter was enough to disperse darkness and spread light. Whatever dissatisfaction or personal grievance he may be having, he kept it hidden in the deep recesses of his heart. Anybody who saw him saw a man who was a hard taskmaster and a very cheerful man who made people laugh. In his late fifties, he was fit as a fiddle. He walked morning and evening, and did power Yoga to keep his body in excellent working condition forever. The feudal and traditional man that he was, because of growing in the land of his ancestors, he never revealed it before others.
He used to tell that he would do something of his own, after his only son gets admitted into a professional course, something that will give him a feeling that he has given back to his people, his society, and the society he grew up in. He had plans and dreams. But he died suddenly. A man who was really capable of doing something for the society went out of existence.
The afternoon was oppressive, and my thoughts drifted towards this uncle of mine who had a dream. How unpredictable and unreliable is this life of ours. It seems all the more so, when it takes away somebody who is not ready yet, whose dreams have not become realities yet.