Senthil - More than just a friend

It was the month of July, 1997 when I first met Senthil - 23 years ago, approximately. We took a liking towards each other straightaway since both of us carried an air of innocence [or at least that's how it looked like at the beginning]. We sat on the same bench on most of the days, either Arun or me. The fibre framed glasses, chubby cheeks with a prominent dimple, a laughter that was extremely infectious - all of them flash in memory as if it was yesterday.

Senthil didn't believe that he was made for computers and therefore he struggled right through the course. It's a huge credit to his determination that he completed his graduation in three years. He worked in a few places across different domains, but deep inside, he always wanted to be his own boss. He combined with a few friends of his at different junctures, initiated different types of businesses. Few succeeded many failed, very badly too. Someone with an impeccable fighting attitude, Senthil always shrugged off the failures and rose again.

He cared for me so much, he loved me unconditionally. He rated me so highly in terms of skills and nature, many a time unjustifiably. He connected all of us like a man who has been ordered to. We as a friends group, have gone to numerous trips and it wouldn't have happened without Senthil. He ran around like a Duracell battery, took lot of pride about his own body and keeping it fit. He wasn't blessed with a very supporting physique, but he worked tirelessly in the gym to keep it in the best possible shape.

He was not a natural athlete by any means, but he never looked out of place in any sport he played. He trusted his mental toughness to pull it through and more often than not, it did. Playing cricket for the first time in life, representing 2nd B.Sc Computer Science, he took 4 wickets in an over, including a hat-trick. He always was scared about skiers, but his third wicket was a caught and bowled and the catch was high - he kept surprising everyone - including the moment he breathed his last. My only solace is, I played with him in my team mostly and we have hugged, shouted and celebrated on countless occasions. We played with lot of passion and loved being together to fight for a win.

Being extremely generous at heart, Senthil offered a lot to the society. He didn't have a lot of money for himself but that didn't act as a hindrance to his charitable nature. Tsunami victims assistance, support for the ones affected during the Chennai floods, yearly visits to orphanages, old age homes, specially-abled children homes, rescuing accident victims on the road, bringing injured/abandoned dogs from the roads to home, distributing trees for friends' wedding as a return gift, Jallikattu protests, frequent blood donations - he has done it all with distinction. He stretched his physical limits to the maximum extent possible, trying to be present everywhere.

Senthil acted as the 'thaeroti' (one who drove the car) for my wedding. He always kept me close to his heart and wanted only the best things to happen for me. I got married late, his wedding got delayed further, due to astrological reasons mainly. In spite of that, nothing stopped him from playing an active role during any of his friends' weddings, that happened ahead of his own. He was an exceptional driver, extremely compassionate for people on the road, neither too cautious nor reckless - balanced on all accounts. All of us felt safe when he drove.

Thanks da Gunda [we called him so affectionately] for always putting others' interests ahead of your own. Thanks for always wanting to keep us together and happy. Thanks for all the wonderful moments we have spent together. Both of us madly supported Sachin and have bunked numerous classes to watch his batting together. Thanks for being such a strong support to my parents, when Gopi and me couldn't be around. They will feel your absence to the fullest. Thanks for making us know that you can grow from being a nobody to a well-respected somebody, only through hard-work. You were such a self-made man, who had to grow from scratch without many hands to support. The journey from a Hercules bicycle to TVS-50 to Libero to Bolero to Honda City to Volkswagen Vento was fully progressive, smooth, peaceful and hard earned. However, the coffin arrived abruptly, unannounced, too soon and shattered our hearts.

Sorry about all the unanswered and unreturned calls in the last few years. Please call me once if possible, I promise to attend. You will forever be remembered as someone who brought a lot of joy to others. You are gone, but your legacy will remain for eternity. We will do what best we can do for Mythily, Mithran and Amma(s). They will miss your presence forever, but we will ensure we are reachable to them always, for any support they need.

Rest in peace, my dear Friend. You have no idea on the hollow you left behind