...our beloved friend Ramaprabha. Happened to befriend her around three years back and this tiny, studious, intellectual girl caught everyone's attention in the French class. A quick learner she was, very friendly, amazing everyone with her language competencies. One of the very few people I have admired. Happens rarely. Very rarely. So in the morning, as the class commences very early on a lazy weekend, 7 AM, that is, our gang of guys enter the class with eyes drooping and hearts disinterested. The professor generally performs her duty very well. Starts the course sharp at 7 irrespective of who is seen attentive or who has shown physical attendance. This little girl sat next to me for almost all of the months she was pursuing level 1. And this means we had fruitful conversations, fun and all of that sorts. Not to forget the 'pause' in between, where we all used to have a chit-chat next to her scooter and indulging on her thayir sadham that early on a weekend, followed by some scoldings from our mam waving from somewhere to get into the class to which we finally budge, of course, reluctantly.
An alumni of Church Park school and an Engg. graduate with an M.B.A, turned as a Software Engineer at one of the top MNCs, here she was - focusing on yet another dimension - language. In retrospect, she was doing it all with so much of elan. I was equally astonished when she said she just loved her job too much. Many such times when I had observed her had repeatedly crossed this thought in my mind, 'May be I shouldn't have wasted so much of time in my life so far and should have kept my learning curve upwards, always upwards. Not even a linear one.'.. That actually made me take a silent oath. To keep learning. To keep on learning without a break in knowledge acquisition.
One of the cherishable times with her was when we had a number learning exercise wherein we had to listen to an audio and mark the respective number. The dumb in me realized that the audio read all the horaires in 24hrs format, only after the answers were read out. How struggling I was to map the hours with the ones in the book. But then here is the girl who did it all in minutes. Appeared as if I was in the first step of the mathematical ladder. The funniest part is, even after all these years, I hope I am in the very same place!
Days disappeared in a blink of an eye with us reaching mid of the course. The most intelligent of all was about to discontinue the course, for an impressive offer came along her way from her bureau. This made her fly from India to Australia for the software project she was into. My life too on the other hand got occupied with work and stuff. Then came a call from her once that passed with a quick chat on our everyday life, mutual friends, work and blah blah.
With time grew the distance and as they say, 'Out of sight, out of mind'. While my days got busier we lost track of each other. It took almost two years to hear something about her through a common friend. Wish I had not not heard it. Rather, I wish it hadn't happened. This little, lively girl had moved out of the world, maybe to somewhere in the universe, maybe to the same place from where she had come. I just couldn't help thinking. After so much of bringing happiness to everyone around, after so much of efforts to reach a state was in, was this all she deserved? Or will she be pushed down to earth by that gracious God to restart her life all over again? Even in that case, what meaning will her new life have? And still, what meaning did her life hold when she was alive? No answers. No one can answer. In this unpredictable short life, the only given choice is to live. To live every moment to the fullest. Who knows what will happen next?!
