A live-wire dear friend, a classmate from Delhi now living in Australia, died suddenly of a heart attack. The news shocked all our classmates as he was not only very popular, social, thoughtful, musical, athletic and fit, he was the life of our WhatsApp conversation group. Friends reflected very fond memories of conversations and time spent with him. However, it also jolted us all to take better care of ourselves through preventive measures before an event occurred. I am writing this so all can benefit from the lessons from this sad episode.
Bimal Mahendroo was a gem of person! He grew up in Delhi, and went to the well-known Delhi Public School, and then went on to do Engineering at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. We were batchmates, and also in the same hostel, at IIT. He was a good student. He lost his father while still in college. He had the rare distinction (in those days) of having a girl friend while still in college. He is now survived by his wife (then girlfriend) and two adult children. Bimal also became a homeopathy expert and cured friends on chronic medical issues with homeopathic medicines.
One year ago, 35 years after graduation, our IIT class of 250 students decided to organize through a WhatsApp group. Bimal jumped into it with full gusto. Soon, there were hundreds of messages posted every day, with almost half of them written by him alone. With a delicious mix of music, humor and serious social commentary, he would hold everyone’s attention and respect. He could keep multiple conversations going simultaneously with different people. With that intensity and hunger to connect, the batch held a well-attended get-together in Gurgaon. Another get-together followed a few months later, incidentally at my parents’ house in Gurgaon. Bimal was the catalyst for many other mini-get-togethers, in Mumbai, in Dubai, in Singapore, and elsewhere. We were planning on one in the US in the summer. He was working on organizing one in Sydney, his hometown in Australia.
Bimal was very energetic. He did no smoking, no alcohol, and was a light eater. He had a passion for coffee, and had started a coffee shop in Sydney. He may have been a bit worried about reviving his career. Bimal also engaged in 1-1 conversations online with many many people. Everyone saw him as their personal friend. He often fondly talked about his family.
Yesterday, he was returning from playing badminton, and in the car itself had a massive heart attack. He died before reaching the hospital. A friend wrote that Bimal came into our lives like hero of the movie Anand …of course without the illness …he connected with ease. For a dear lady classmate, he was more than even a brother!! The light has gone out of our batch, I said. Bimal’s last words on WhatsApp were in response to something I had posted. He wrote:
- ‘The folly of human conceits, demonstrated the best in our differentiated treatment of each other, the incessant need to compare, contrast and differentiate. Wonderful reminder, Anil, of our morality. And mortality.’
When someone so bubbly and social and athletic passes on so soon, it must be for a higher purpose!!!! Here is my imagination of Bimal’s conversation w God.
God: Welcome home.
Bimal: thanks God. It is pretty nice here. But can I return for a moment? This happened too fast. Can I say hello to my friends?
God: tathastu (so be it). You can do it from here itself.
Bimal: hello friends. Sorry had to leave like this. Miss you all so much. You were my life. But I am here now. Up there somewhere. It is nice here. Don’t worry about me. Hopefully you will remember me as a nice funny chap. Just keep having fun. I will watch from here. Once in a while I might drop by through someone who can connect with me. The heart-to-heart channel, you know.
God: (smiling). Very nice. They love you and will love you forever. Anything else you want?
Bimal: For my family too. Same message. Just keep living your life happily. Uxxx, sorry had to leave like this. Sorry. You were the love of my life. We will meet again.
God: Yes, things will keep changing.
Bimal: thank you. Please bless all my friends and family. So they can enjoy every moment of their lives fully.
God: तथास्तु।
It is also a stark reminder that life can be so unpredictable. This is a wake-up call for all of us. I am sure some of us have managed their health better and others can benefit from their experience. Here were a few key suggestions shared by friends:
- One suggestion is to be disciplined in diet, nutrition and exercise. One of Bill Clinton’s Doctors is Dr. Dean Ornish and he has a book on “Reversing Heart Disease”. Dean Ornish’s book was helpful for another friend when he underwent a coronary angioplasty recently. There is also a vegan-diet plan from a group called freedomfromdiabetes.org. Both of these conditions, cardio and diabetes, go hand in hand. Regular exercise and movement is also required to manage body weight.
- Another suggestion was to do an annual comprehensive medical checkup. Many people could thus get the diagnosis in time so they could do something about it. Personally, I get a comprehensive checkup done almost every year when I visit India.
- Please meditate. Saying differently, in life s**t will happen! We just don’t want it to stick to us. We wash our bodies everyday with soap and water. We should also cleanse our minds everyday with meditation. Try TM, Vipassana, or another other well-tested technique you like. Choose carefully, as just like all diets and medications are not the same, so also all meditations are not the same.
Wish you the fastest growth to enlightenment!!!! And the resultant freedom from stress. And great health!
(image source: stomachbloating.net)
Blissful Living 