Ashish Purandare – An
Epitaph
It is also a time for
reflection. Every human being lives her/his life in accordance with some norms
that she/he sets for herself/himself. With Ashish, the dictum was loud and
clear – LIVE LIFE KINGSIZE! Not for him the underplayed, nuanced approach to
life practiced by the cautious and the insecure. Right from the first time I
had known him, he was strength and intensity personified. Our whattsapp group
had a post of how Ashish managed to clobber a senior trying to rag him (when he
was in the first year), thereby earning the sobriquet of ‘Dada’. That singular,
authority-resisting act was indicative of his USP.
Rakish and devilishily
handsome, Ashish had a charm that could disarm the most ardent of his
detractors. As Saket pointed out in his whattsapp post, agar woh goggle laga le, to
quayamat aaa jaye!
Ashish believed in
defying, daring and challenging the status quo. He tried that devil-may-care
attitude with his life as well. Impulsive to the core, he spiced up his life at
every juncture. It is not for us to judge whether what he did was right or
wrong. As he meets his maker at Vaikunth, I am sure, if the good lord asks him
what he expects there, Ashish would respond, “good life, good times, on my own
terms”
It was great knowing
and growing up with you, Ashish. I sure am gonna miss your effervescence, your
satire, your unending stock of non-veg jokes, the baithaks, and most importantly that benevolent, helpful attitude of
yours towards all and sundry who would have known (or not known) you. I pray to
God, to give your family the courage and strength to tide over this most
untimely loss.
