“Harati nimeshat kalaha sarvam’’ roughly translated as “Time destroys everything in a moment” – this is what Adi Shankaracharya said in the Bhaja Govindam and how very true he is! Few people believe in karma. The truth that a person’s karma from their past can catch up with them many births later as expounded in the Hindu philosophy is something not many people believe in. As for the ones who do believe in this theory, they are often looked upon with disdain and condescending looks of “aww, poor you, you’ve gone off the rocker”. This in short, is also what we nonchalantly term as fate. Undeniably, the ways of fate are impossible to discern and inexplicably terrifying. Things we have no logical reasons or answers to, we tend to term as fate. What else then, can explain the tragic case of Ishan Srinivasan, my brother who drowned while trying to save a friend? He had everything going uphill for him – an extremely close knit and loving family, popularity, friends and above all, he was an amazing person. A good human being. Why then, did he drown in a lake he had swum in so many times before? Why then, did he drown while trying to save a friend who had the support of a life jacket? These questions can never be answered. Nor will answering them mitigate the loss of a brother whose death has come as a horrible shock to me and whose death I feel miserable over.

People often say that in this yuga of Kali, in this era where darkness and evil threaten to overwhelm human existence; courage in the face of adversity, self sacrifice in the face of danger, compassion, being selfless and benevolent when it really matters are aspects which are conspicuous by their sheer absence, even nonexistence. I however, beg to differ. My brother died at 21, an age when life begins and is definitely not an age when it is snuffed out into oblivion. He died because he put the lives of his friends above his own. Kali Yuga is not an era of evil and pessimism alone as people believe it to be. It is an era where there is a glimmer of hope for humanity, for altruism. It is an age where the concluding line of Shelly’s ‘Ode to the West Wind’ makes sense – “if winter comes, can spring be far behind? “ While darkness and evil may well be the prevailing aspects of the Kali, goodness is not entirely nonexistent. Yes, I feel miserable that my brother died at a stage when he was on the threshold of life. He had so much to accomplish, so much to establish, so much to enjoy and above all, so very much to live for. I am not a huge fan of martyrs, but I have to admit it, I am proud of him- my brother died a hero, he died a martyr.

Over the last few months, I have been living in my own delusional world of what I perceived to be significant. I had a fallout with someone I fallaciously and unwisely believed was close to me. I worried over inconsequential things like assessments, assignments, paltry squabbles with people, work and more. However, my brother’s untimely death has put everything in perspective. He might not have lived long, yet I know he touched many lives, both while living and even as he was dying.

Ishan, my brother, I salute you. Rest in Peace.



http://www.thestar.com/news/article/997879--mississauga-man-drowned-worrying-about-his-friend