In my world right now...

What has been happening in my world since I last appeared here???

Honestly, a lot... A few things good, some not so good, some downright depressing...

But first, I want to tell you guys about somebody, who has been a part of our lives back here and was brutally taken away from us!

I was at my parents' place for a family function when on the same morning we got the news of the assassination of a very close family friend.

Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, was Naru-bhau to my family - as long as I remember. The friendship between our families started two generations back - with his mother and my grandmother being neighbors and hence - absolutely wonderful friends...

He was a rationalist, an anti-superstition brigadier, a doer... He was a doctor, a very good one, but he gave up his practice after 12 years and became a full time social worker. There are many places, including his Wikipedia page where you can read about all his work, I'm not going to go into the details of it. I'll just tell you what he was to me & my family!!! To us, he was a friend who had been with us through the worst of times

I remember him as the person, whom I used to meet - ever since I was a child - usually when I visited my Uncle's shop. Always with a smile on his face, meeting him would leave a good feeling in my heart. I might not realize it then, but now I can feel it! We take people so much for granted. and only when we realize, we're never going to see them again, that we really recognize the impact they had on us!

I remember him as the person, who used to come to my home - every single day - to help my dad stand for the length of time the doctors had prescribed him. That was when my dad had broken both his legs in an accident and was healing after multiple operations to heal his broken bones. My mother did not know - or was rather afraid that she'd do something wrong - how to help my dad get back on his feet - even for 2 minutes! That was when Narendra kaka and his wife Shala maushi volunteered to do it! And they did it EVERY DAY! When they could not come it was his nephew Prasanna Kaka and his wife Chitra Maushi who used to come. Between the four of them, they never missed a single day. I remember days when they used to enter the room directly from the rear entrance and not even meet any of the other family members!

Shaila Maushi has always been a pillar of strength to me and mom! During my college days, I shared things even my mom didn't know about me with her. She guided me, helped me make decisions, encouraged me,  and over everything else - loves me like her own!!! She was the one who delivered Aadi. I just feel so safe with her! She has also been with my mom during her menopausal phase. I do not know any other doctor who comes home when the patient does not turn up!!!

The most impressive thing about both of them was that they are so tolerant! They are atheists. But they never insisted that we stopped believing in what we do! Especially Kaka did not like huge wedding ceremonies. But he did not stop  others from doing that! 
He was there for my brother's wedding too. My last living memory of him is when I was walking behind my brother on the way to the final ceremony, he signed to tell me that I was looking good!

What shocked me most, is the brutal and cowardly way in which he was killed. The two assassins, fired shots at him from the back. I am sure, if they had been in front of him, he would have talked them out of doing that! Not just to save his own life, but for their own good as well! He was that kind of a person! He could make you think about your actions!

This incident affected my family, especially my father - for whom Narubhau has been an anchor of support! Even I was blanked out for a moment.

I am sure that though he is no more, his work will speak for itself in the coming days and the thousands of people whom he helped will take it forward!

He will be missed as an activist, but even more then that, he'll be missed as a friend and family!!!
 There will be many more leaders to lead the various movements that he was involved in, but Hamid & Mukta can have just that one father! There can be no replacement in the family & friends and there will always be a void in his place!!!