A Tribute to my friend Kishore Shahani, who passed away on 5th Feb,2011, after a two year battle with cancer. It is written in the form of a letter to his soul
My dear Kishore,
I won’t start this letter saying ‘I can’t believe my dear friend is no more’. Because you and all your friends knew that God had decided to snatch you away from us sooner or later, when you were diagnosed two years ago with Multiple Myloma, the dreadful bone marrow cancer. Any human being would be devastated by such a ‘death sentence’. But the way you decided to fight the disease and delay your departure from the world is what makes your life story interesting!
Your decision to go for naturopathy instead of chemotherapy was bold. Though it was a relentless fight against god’s decision, you fought it with belief, commitment and positive thinking! Until a couple of weeks before your departure, you tried to lead as normal a life as possible.
You were one of the great friends that the Round Table gifted to me. Though I came to Chennai in 1974 and joined Madras Round Table No.10, I got to know you, a member of Madras Mylapore Round Table no 3, closer, when we worked for the Round Table India AGM in 1977 held in Chennai. The abiding friendship we developed, as foot soldiers of the Round Table Movement, continued after we both ceased to be members of the wonderful movement - thanks to the Round Table Foundation and later the 41 Clubs of India – which ensured that our hinges of friendship never rusted.
You were the person who helped RTF identify and buy the land on which the Round Table India building, a dream project of another remarkable ex-Round Tabler, Bob Chandran, stands today
When I stepped down as Secretary of RTF after 8 years, you took over from me and later continued your association as Chairman of the RTF. While still active in RTF, you were making your mark in 41 Clubs of India, becoming one of its popular Presidents. Later you became the Secretary of 41 Clubs International, with another inimitable and high spirited ex-Tabler Indu Chandhok as the President. The great 41 International AGM we had in Chennai amply demonstrated your tremendous organizing abilities and leadership qualities. The behind-the-scenes activities of major events of Round Table India, Round Table Foundation and 41 Clubs of India, in which both of us were involved, kept our friendship going..
This relationship was to be further cemented when your wonderful and charming wife Sunita joined my business as the head of a memory bank/direct marketing outfit, Little Things. You also became the founder director of another company in my group contributing your ideas and your wisdom.
In spite of your enormous talents & abilities, you had a tough career after you left a secure and promising job with L&T McNeil. Your life journey took you through several twists and turns, including a brief stint as a volunteer with Siddha Yoga Centre in Ganeshpuri near Mumbai. In all those turbulent years what kept you going was your undying spirit and enthusiasm for life! And of course the tremendous support you got from your dear wife, in whatever you did.
Your ever-smiling face, a calm approach to any issues or problems, your analytical powers, your wonderful communication skills both as a speaker and writer and above all your sense of humour – even under most trying circumstances were qualities which I always admired in you.
Though in the last decade our paths did not cross often, I know we were always together in spirit. It is that spirit which made me call on you at your new home in Anna Nagar a few days before you were admitted to the hospital. In spite of your failing health I was surprised to listen to your high spirited discourse on alternate therapy and its benefits, which even made me write an article on Alternate Therapy. Though we all knew that no therapy would change god’s decision, you did make an effort to influence him.
I still remember the episode in your life more than a decade ago when you had a massive heart attack and were rushed to the hospital where you were almost given up for a few minutes before doctors managed to revive you. You came back to tell us the story of your experience in your typical humorous style in an article in the Fellowship magazine. But this time god has had his way. You have left your dear family and legion of friends, from all over the world, forever!
Kishore, We are all going to miss you. And knowing you, you would not want us to mourn your death but continue to celebrate life. That is the lesson you taught us.
So may I raise a toast to your soul!
Yours in friendship forever,
R.V.Rajan (rvrajan42@rediffmail.com)
My dear Kishore,
I won’t start this letter saying ‘I can’t believe my dear friend is no more’. Because you and all your friends knew that God had decided to snatch you away from us sooner or later, when you were diagnosed two years ago with Multiple Myloma, the dreadful bone marrow cancer. Any human being would be devastated by such a ‘death sentence’. But the way you decided to fight the disease and delay your departure from the world is what makes your life story interesting!
Your decision to go for naturopathy instead of chemotherapy was bold. Though it was a relentless fight against god’s decision, you fought it with belief, commitment and positive thinking! Until a couple of weeks before your departure, you tried to lead as normal a life as possible.
You were one of the great friends that the Round Table gifted to me. Though I came to Chennai in 1974 and joined Madras Round Table No.10, I got to know you, a member of Madras Mylapore Round Table no 3, closer, when we worked for the Round Table India AGM in 1977 held in Chennai. The abiding friendship we developed, as foot soldiers of the Round Table Movement, continued after we both ceased to be members of the wonderful movement - thanks to the Round Table Foundation and later the 41 Clubs of India – which ensured that our hinges of friendship never rusted.
You were the person who helped RTF identify and buy the land on which the Round Table India building, a dream project of another remarkable ex-Round Tabler, Bob Chandran, stands today
When I stepped down as Secretary of RTF after 8 years, you took over from me and later continued your association as Chairman of the RTF. While still active in RTF, you were making your mark in 41 Clubs of India, becoming one of its popular Presidents. Later you became the Secretary of 41 Clubs International, with another inimitable and high spirited ex-Tabler Indu Chandhok as the President. The great 41 International AGM we had in Chennai amply demonstrated your tremendous organizing abilities and leadership qualities. The behind-the-scenes activities of major events of Round Table India, Round Table Foundation and 41 Clubs of India, in which both of us were involved, kept our friendship going..
This relationship was to be further cemented when your wonderful and charming wife Sunita joined my business as the head of a memory bank/direct marketing outfit, Little Things. You also became the founder director of another company in my group contributing your ideas and your wisdom.
In spite of your enormous talents & abilities, you had a tough career after you left a secure and promising job with L&T McNeil. Your life journey took you through several twists and turns, including a brief stint as a volunteer with Siddha Yoga Centre in Ganeshpuri near Mumbai. In all those turbulent years what kept you going was your undying spirit and enthusiasm for life! And of course the tremendous support you got from your dear wife, in whatever you did.
Your ever-smiling face, a calm approach to any issues or problems, your analytical powers, your wonderful communication skills both as a speaker and writer and above all your sense of humour – even under most trying circumstances were qualities which I always admired in you.
Though in the last decade our paths did not cross often, I know we were always together in spirit. It is that spirit which made me call on you at your new home in Anna Nagar a few days before you were admitted to the hospital. In spite of your failing health I was surprised to listen to your high spirited discourse on alternate therapy and its benefits, which even made me write an article on Alternate Therapy. Though we all knew that no therapy would change god’s decision, you did make an effort to influence him.
I still remember the episode in your life more than a decade ago when you had a massive heart attack and were rushed to the hospital where you were almost given up for a few minutes before doctors managed to revive you. You came back to tell us the story of your experience in your typical humorous style in an article in the Fellowship magazine. But this time god has had his way. You have left your dear family and legion of friends, from all over the world, forever!
Kishore, We are all going to miss you. And knowing you, you would not want us to mourn your death but continue to celebrate life. That is the lesson you taught us.
So may I raise a toast to your soul!
Yours in friendship forever,
R.V.Rajan (rvrajan42@rediffmail.com)
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