.....Maimed.....Pained....the post an Orphan , as Bhal was invariably ,an early bird to check this post , his comments read with due diligence .....such was the practice in the last few years ....& now until May onwards the posts went abegging for want of his valuable comments....as my flow was a trickle , yet his absence ,bothered me ....the unkindest cut :as His B'Day wishes poured in the group , the "Miss You",hit me hard , as I enquired from Javed , & my fears were confirmed....that he was sick , returned back to India from Sharjah ,where he was posted as an ENT Surgeon , capitulating to the terminal illness , in his prime & at the peak of his career....Dr Bhal chandra Jha , my early memories go back to 1985 @Boys Old Hostel of Patna Medical college , bright & Witty sporting a thick mustache, sporting a Pyjama & Vest , he was the quintessential brite 'Vidhayarthi ', the Netarhat look well besmirched on his forehead , the Hindi was razor sharp , witty , satirical , with often dual connotations ,easily beating the hell out of his adversaries ,whoever crossed swords with him ,jokingly, in a way his command over the vernacular was apparently visible whenever you happened to converse with him ....in that , even after a long hiatus of our separation to different walks , the reunion over the electronic media , unmissable touch of his flair over the language was felt and revisited ....
As we wrote & exchanged prolifically , I came very close to him ....with 'Budho' his Character , the rustic setting of his writings,set me back to my roots of my village ,town....Only an Expat can feel the pain of another as both of us felt the same , complementing ourselves with our writings , as we missed Homeland.....our family & friends , countrymen....
As we met , after a period of long long years ,in a different setting altogether of an established: establishment of our professional self, both of us in foreign lands , the distant homeland , we had to strike a chord of similarity ,of a predicament of rootlessness , yet united by our commonality , hence 'Budho ' appealed in no uncertain terms, as it was common platform ....truly cherish those days ,when we shared our feelings thru numerous posts ..
...As my "Heart of Punjab" went abegging for want of his comments , now there will be a permanent void , coming to terms won't be easy .....as the images are too strong , the Boys Old hostel , the cool rooms & Bhalchandra in his inimitable style .....Rest in Peace my dear friend ....!!!!
