R.I.P. My Brother Shalin

It is often said that the best among men are needed more, up there in heaven than down here on earth. I did not fully comprehend how true this statement was until this past weekend. This is a cruel reminder from nature that the only immortals are the gods themselves & we as humans are mere mortals who simply can’t defeat Father Time. There can be no justice or solace in the fact that such a precious soul has been taken away from our midst far too soon. But I guess his legacy on earth was not to live peacefully into his golden years which I can safely assume he himself would have called “boring”, but to be a shining beacon that will inspire millions of others to never give up hope & always be positive.

Winston Churchill once remarked that “pessimists see difficultly in every opportunity while optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”. Shalin took that saying to heart, turned the tables on Cancer, saw it as an opportunity to be thankful of what he was able to do in his short life. He simultaneously was able to inspire millions of others with his message of fighting on when the odds are heavily stacked against you & showcased the importance of cherishing the small things in life we take for granted.

As we all know that sunsets are very dear to Shalin & I believe that he went to heaven with impeccable timing 30 min before sunset so that he could view a sunset far more glorious than what any one of us could possibly see down here on earth.

Shalin really lived upto what he told us: i.e. that what truly matters is not how long we live, but what we do with the time that has been allocated to us. Shalin as we all know was always spreading joy to everyone around him, beginning from the folically challenged infant with the cutest smile to the strapping young man who was glowing at his wedding recently.

He always was extremely positive throughout his painful ordeal over the past 9 months. He very quickly accepted what cards God had dealt him, accepting his fate with extreme maturity while not once complaining “why did it have to be me?”

He was never after the flashy materialistic things that a lot of people crave constantly. Sorry Shalin but I did give you a lot of grief about your blue flip phone which you didn’t part with until everyone I know was already using smartphones.

Not only was Shalin highly intelligent but also very well informed on every topic known to man. I was fortunate to have some fascinating discussions with him on a wide variety of topics. Though mind you, these discussions were always at a risk of ending up with one of Shalin’ s trademark out of the box/left field random questions which not only left one puzzled but sometimes got me thinking that “Man someone really needs to see what neurons are firing in this guy’s brain that makes him ask these random questions”.

Like Niyati had mentioned at his wedding that she wanted Kahaan to be like Shalin when he grew up in not only speaks volume about Shalin as a man but also is a testament to his excellent upbringing by Bharatifoi & Sanjeevfua. Shalin was extremely blessed to have perfect partner in you Frances who never once left Shalin’s side & were his rock of support even in direst of circumstances.

To conclude I would like to recite a passage from Dylan Thomas’s poem which was made famous recently by a movie that both Shalin & I loved: Interstellar. The poem beautifully encapsulates Shalin’s life over these past few months. The poem means essentially not to surrender, do not give up, live, fight against the end, against the coming change - do not pass out of the light with a whimper, but as time comes near live big.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.