Dear Friends,
Today is one of the saddest days of my life. I have often been woken up from sleep at wee hours in the morning by news of derailments, failures etc. But the news that woke me up today was as terrible as it gets. Kapil Sir called at close to 5 in the morning to inform me that Himanshu Mohan Sir was no more !! Even though I have seen his lifeless body, I still cannot believe that he is gone.....!!
Himanshu Sir, without doubt was one of the nicest and most genuine persons I have known to date. A human being who was defined by dignity, wit, command over language, poetic flair, warmth and an understated elegance. I met him for the first time in NCR Headquarter, in the chamber of Ojha Sir, when I first reported to NCR after my sudden-interzonal transfer from Northern Railway. In that singular meeting he won me over and it was only later that I came to know that he was so much senior to me. From then on, we kept meeting and soon a friendship blossomed between us which was as unlikely (seeing the difference of seniority) as it was special. I loved his wit and warmth and the ability to make me feel absolutely at home and comfortable and he admired my poetry. In my humble opinion, Himanshu Sir was a rare literary gem-a master of satire and poetic expression-who was yet to be discovered by the literary world.
It is a sad day today that I am writing this piece as a tribute-a parting gift-to a dear friend whose ready smile, quick wit, sense of humor and down-to-earth attitude will be missed forever by all those who have been fortunate enough to be close to him when he was still here between us.
Today I bid farewell to my friend and pray to God that his soul may rest in peace.
Adieu my friend....I shall miss you forever !!
