It’s six days since you left Mani… and seven years since Raji left. There you go …. Here you are !
When Raji left, Krishnan and I could sense the life force leaving you. I still have your name on my phone’s contact list as Raji Mani, never singly. Don’t know how you went through these seven years. Every time we met you, since 2018, we could almost hear Raji say something, laugh about something …. she felt you gave her everything, and you were her whole world. And she was your very breath. A complete circle, soul mates, now together again.
A day before, on the 24th of June, crows cawed outside our apartment and for some reason I thought of you. A strange intuition that I may hear some news about you. I immediately messaged Nisha, but didnt get a reply. I assumed everything was ok and my intuition was not correct. Then on the morning of the 25th as we were getting ready to go out, Nisha messaged me about your passing.
Momentarily I was sad, because you and Raji have been a constant part of Krishnan and my life for nearly 40 years. Through the best and worst times of our lives…. so many memories ! The long discussions about Osho, the fights with Nisha on who is better – Ilayaraja or Rahman, Jagjit Singh’s ghazals, the many videos about TamilNadu politics, Milt gossip and everything else under the sun. That milky tea you made, the “kootu” that had to be spiced up and that promise of coming to our home in Gurgaon… That’s a promise you have to fulfil in the next life.
We spoke to Jammi, Subbu, Mani Shankar, Ramesh and Appu Srini after we heard the news. Everyone had many memories to share and everyone referred to you as Raji-Mani. 🙂
Our friendship dates back to the pre-cellphone days, so I have handwritten letters and greeting cards from you and Raji. What a treasure they are. I had shared some of them with you over Whatsapp. Here is one from all of you wishing Krishnan and me on our anniversary in 1995.
I just went through our WhatsApp chats. You shifted back to India on July 18, 2020 and had to quarantine at a hotel in Mumbai and again in Vidya’s house due to the pandemic. You were happy to be back in India and reached Hyderabad on Aug 12th a few days before your birthday. Then the series of interesting incidents followed with vegetables that you wrongly identified and Nisha having a laugh riot…..Just five years later, you posted your last comment on my blog that I wrote on the Dale Carnegie story from Osho’s discourse.
Will miss your comments, will miss meeting you in Hyderabad every time we made the trip down south…. and most of all, will miss sharing our life’s adventures with you.
Farewell Mani. Please say hello to Raji for us. So long till we all get together in another lifetime for another round of “chai pe charcha”…. but please let Raji make the tea :). Nisha and Vidya, lots of love to both of you. Your parents loved you both tremendously and were very very proud of the people you have become. You both represent the best of both of them.
Om Shanthi. Om Shanthi. Om Shanthi.