Dear grandfather

Death is unavoidable. We believe that the time of everyone’s death is fixed even before a person comes into this world. Thus we should not grieve over the demise of our loved ones. This is what I used to believe whenever I thought of death. But recently, I realised that I was wrong.

It is more than two months since my name appeared last in these columns. Everything has a reason and the reason of my absence is a painful one — the sudden loss of my grandfather.

I could not control my tears and grief. Still whenever, I think of him, my eyes get filled with tears. 

He always supported me. He was a fun-loving, kind and a honourable man dedicated to the family. He was one of the renowned Urdu poets in Bihar. I too used to spend time with him and listen to his poems. He always encouraged me to write poems and stories in Urdu. 

He inculcated in me the love for Urdu. He taught me how to read and write Urdu. Without him, I could never have got the chance to realise the richness of Urdu literature. 

My grandfather was my greatest ideal and no one else can attain this position. It is unfortunate that I lost him so early.

It was not only my loss, because he was a great poet and had contributed so much to Urdu literature and Indian culture.

Now I have realised that if you lose someone very dear to you, others can only comfort you but the real pain remains. 

Death is, what I think, just a simple reminder to everyone that irrespective of our plans for the future, we have only little time to live in this world. I think that a man should always be prepared for death and live his life to the fullest. 

(Published in The Gulf Today on February 14, 2015)