Homage to my friend
We lost a dear friend and a most wonderful human being, Guru Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan this Saturday, after an 8 month long battle against Cancer. Guru was first diagnosied with Stage IV lung Cancer in July 2010 and had endured multiple Chemos and radiation with the hope that he will win this battle but it was not to be and he finally succumbed to the disease. Guru was a non-smoker, a teetotaller and a vegetarian and the doctors have no idea what triggered the disease. But most important of all, he was a fighter, he valued life and thought it was worth living and he fought till the very last minute and never gave up.
Since I have always thought writing helps me give a voice to my thoughts and feelings, I wanted to write something here to describe the grief that has overtaken my existence these past two days, I wanted to say many things describing how beautiful a person Guru was, but turns out, I am quite at a loss for words. My mind is empty, I can't think of the right words. I have tears in my eyes and my heart too. I spent the past 2 days with the grieving family and am finally sitting alone this afternoon thinking about everything that transpired. The 'why' is just killing me. I would like to believe I am a rationalist and that there would be a reason why this had to happen to him, and right now, we don't have any answers. I hope I have the strength and clarity of mind to help his wife and two kids and the rest of the family to pull through this ordeal.
Guru will always be missed and will always be remembered, and he will continue to live in our memories and hearts.
We lost a dear friend and a most wonderful human being, Guru Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan this Saturday, after an 8 month long battle against Cancer. Guru was first diagnosied with Stage IV lung Cancer in July 2010 and had endured multiple Chemos and radiation with the hope that he will win this battle but it was not to be and he finally succumbed to the disease. Guru was a non-smoker, a teetotaller and a vegetarian and the doctors have no idea what triggered the disease. But most important of all, he was a fighter, he valued life and thought it was worth living and he fought till the very last minute and never gave up.
Since I have always thought writing helps me give a voice to my thoughts and feelings, I wanted to write something here to describe the grief that has overtaken my existence these past two days, I wanted to say many things describing how beautiful a person Guru was, but turns out, I am quite at a loss for words. My mind is empty, I can't think of the right words. I have tears in my eyes and my heart too. I spent the past 2 days with the grieving family and am finally sitting alone this afternoon thinking about everything that transpired. The 'why' is just killing me. I would like to believe I am a rationalist and that there would be a reason why this had to happen to him, and right now, we don't have any answers. I hope I have the strength and clarity of mind to help his wife and two kids and the rest of the family to pull through this ordeal.
Guru will always be missed and will always be remembered, and he will continue to live in our memories and hearts.
Very sad to know that your friend passed away Harini. Did not know him personally but had heard of him. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. I'm sure like you, he would have made many dearest friends who could and would help his family during such a time like this.
ReplyDeleteAll living things pass away one day. It's difficult to understand why this must happen. It may be the hardest thing of all to understand.
I once thought that a person could die from natural causes only during his/her elderly years. Over the years this cloud of myth started diminishing as I kept hearing many such incidents, some of which happened to people close to us.
Nothing in this life is guaranteed. But death, the one certainty in all life, is life’s greatest uncertainty. Coming to terms with death can be a lifelong process. We may find different answers at different stages of our lives, or we may always feel a sense of uncertainty and fear.
The best we can do is accept death as a fact of life (easier said than done). It happens, and we can't do anything to change that.
Most of all, just still being a friend and being there, is important......
Unable to digest the very sad news.He is the gem and always try to help people. I lost 3 friends within one year for the killer cancer.. Can anyone provide me the email id of Ms. Navitha (Guru's wife)
ReplyDeleteR.sabesh