In full blossom he stood tall
in all that he did
...and now
let’s define what he did,
what it meant
to stand tall and how ‘tall’ was ‘tall’?
His fondness
to love and cuddle... all that was cuddly;
his
love for cute small stuff like pens and pins;
his
untiring, unprovoked bursting
into old Tamil
melodies.
His
untarnished voice spelling melancholy that
would
tug at your heartstrings;
that
you’d think he suffered more than the actor who
donned that
role.
His fetish for
cleanliness..,to break away
from the gathering
filth;
to
wash with Rin and coat again with a
dash of Ujala
all day long…
His spotless
white attire matching with his
blemish-less curd
rice;
his diary recording of mundane daily
events;
his inherent craving for
perfection.
His love to
relate and regale audiences...his instant
switch
to boredom when uninterested;
his
limitlessly curious mind
to know more
about the ordinary.
His inadvertent
display of ignorance, raw innocence;
his
childish delight at the small
things
that now stand denied...and his quick
resigned
acceptance and adaptation.
His carefully
cultivated curls now thinning
where it
should not … and his
receding
hairline accentuating his bright
dazzling
complexion now glowing and expressive as ever.
His quick
emotional endurance
to news of mixed
events;
his self-imposed
smile when in a hospital bed…
not once
displaying his plight.
His reaction
to the realisation of being a victim
of science’s
most flaunted diseases like
diabetes,
hypertension and renal impairment…
just his passive,
resigned shrug
Never a
display of despair though can’t miss his furtive eyes
Lurk
out for the next fried chip.
And
his version of how well he adhered to
prescribed, disciplined
self-care.
As he
religiously pursues the imposed schedule of
do’s
and don’ts over the next few months;
one
can soon see his triumphant smile
when he bites
on a forbidden benne masala dosa.
He ‘tall’ stands like only ‘he' can..
and that is
the brother I adore,
compliment, love and even emulate
and for
him I will my kidneys store.
