Kalyan O Kalyan!

Sakaran's Death news came as a crude shock to me.

Actually, I came to know about this heartbreaking information through an email from Nagai Elangovan, today afternoon. Due to restrictions at my work place, I could not browse any site for further information and I felt on the edge. I did not even possess the contact numbers of KV Raja or Mohan or Lucky Shahjahan of Riyadh. I could only reply back to Elangovan's email pleading for more information and for an urgent call on my cell phone. Yet the news in connection with sudden demise is still unbelievable for me. At the first instance, though I was totally taken aback, I also thought it might be some false news … infact, I wished it to be. But Elangovan who is currently in Riyadh had specifically mentioned Kalyan's demise in his mail as 'confirmed news' … Oh! thats really terrible....!

Actually, after arriving at Muscat ( Oman ) last week, I thought of speaking to Kalyan about my latest assignment. But something stopped me from informing this to him as I decided to send him a detailed email after I accustomed to my new environment in the Sultanate of Oman. In fact, I hinted him once during one of our telephonic conversation. The last time I spoke to him was when he called me over my cell phone, while I was in Vizag. After a tedious night shift job, I had just then returned home and was effortlessly trying to take a short nap before I could bath. On that call, Sakaran was so furious that his very tone grilled me for a moment. The mistake I had committed according to him was the publishing of his picture in my blog without his permission. Without expecting any explanation from me, he simply asked me to delete it immediately …….in fact, I gave my blogger user ID and Password to him to do so. Actually, just on the date of my leaving Riyadh , I had invited Kalyan to my office to collect some literary works (short stories downloaded from net) of Jayakanthan, Jayamohan, Asokamithran, La Sa Ra, Vannadhaasan,etc. It was during that occasion I took this photo – a smiling Kalyan with my office files in the backdrop. He accompanied me until my room and also dropped my colleague in the Mosque at Hara for his Friday Prayers (Salah). This was the last occasion I saw him. The photo I took at that point is still with me in my system as fresh as his memories.

After a couple, of days, he once again called ... this time with a polite apology. In fact, on both occasions I really wonder how I missed to greet him for a very happy new 2007. I also did not try to call him. Earlier, just a week ago, that is in the last week of December 2006, we planned to meet at a common place at Chennai. In fact, we wanted Nagai Elangovan also to be present during that occasion. But Kalyan when was available, I had to go to Thrissur-Guruvayoor with my family. When I came back to Chennai, I noted Kalyan having proceeded to Thirvannamalai. Still I felt that the world is too small a place, and our next meeting is sure to take place at some later stage in future. But it didn’t strike my mind that there is always some constraints beyond the influence of human intelligence and capacity. Actually, I do not know what I would have to spoken to him, if we had met then. Even in our past meetings, our talks were never focused on trivial things. We also have never indulged in any serious talk rather. I think his thoughts were always occupied on the happenings of the Tamil blogger world. He has never sought my participation in his ventures (somebody made a wild guess, which was far from truth). Not only his role in the blogger movement, but also his active participation in Tamil literary activities in Riyadh and in promoting Ezhuthuppattarai (or Ezhuthukkoodam, I beg pardon) meetings, especially, for reading and appreciating S.Ramakrishanan's writings (Kathaa Vilaasam, Desaanthiri, in Aanandha Vikatan) deserves appreciation. In one such meeting only, I saw his wife and his one-and-half year old daughter, and that was the only occasion I have seen them. Kalyan once shared with me his concern about the poor Tamils who were toiling hard in KSA to provide a decent livelihood for their family. I also understood that he had some thoughts of floating an idea among the Tamils for bringing out a Tamil newspaper for the benefit of Tamil community living in the Kingdom. In the blogger's world, Kalyan has many friends and admirers. In Riyadh literary circles too he had many well wishers. His unexpected end is a great loss for all his friends and colleagues, in whatever span of time they worked in association with him. But more than all that, his wife and his child would miss him a lot. I do not know how to express my grief to them.

My prayers are for peace and strength for his family - wife, child, dad and mom and sister.

Post Script: Spoke to Kalyan's mother (mobile # 9444927061) at chennai; Kalyan is just 30; seems a massive cardiac arrest has cost his life on 11th of Feb-07, the black day for all of us; also learnt about the hectic efforts, RTS is undertaking in bringing his body from Kingdom to his home in India (Chennai).