We lost an unsung hero

Altaf Bashir

As the world continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus, we are faced with harsh realities in terms of death and destruction. Yesterday, we lost a noble soul after he suffered a stroke which resulted in a brain hemorrhage, and he later passed away in the hospital.

He had woken up normally on Thursday morning and went to the bathroom to take a bath. After he finished, he fainted, and when he didn't come out for a prolonged period, his wife started knocking on the bathroom door and calling his name, but there was no response. She then rushed to her son and woke him up, asking him to check on his father who wasn't answering his calls from inside the bathroom. Luckily, the bathroom window was unlatched. He pushed the window and saw his father lying on the ground. He kicked the door open and tried to wake his father up, but his body didn't respond, so they rushed him to the hospital.

He struggled for six hours in the hospital, and the doctors said that he was unlikely to make it. The day before his death, when his daughter visited him, he bought some goodies for her before she left for her in-laws' home and told her that he might not be able to visit her at her in-laws' home any time soon. Little did she know that the next morning she would return and mourn her father's death.

He had resumed his work after three months of prolonged lockdown on June 17th, a Wednesday. After finishing his work, he returned home to rest for the day. He was happy to find his daughter at home and spent some quality time with her and the rest of his family before bidding her goodbye.

One of the best things about our society is that we love our daughters. We show great praise and love when a daughter gets married and moves away from her home. We often pray and think of our married daughters and love our grandchildren who often visit our home. This tradition of loving daughters has not faded away and has remained intact for many centuries. We know how much daughters love their fathers, and the association between a daughter and father is sacrosanct.

Memory is a funny thing. When I was a child, we used to play in the narrow alley in Baghi Nand Singh Chattabal, and he used to greet us and play with us too. We always loved him because he would come to us and help people whenever anyone was suffering. He used to visit the sick and take care of his neighbors. He was the head of the welfare committee that arranged funerals and three days of meals in our locality. He never complained about his aches and sufferings. He was a cheerful person who gave hope when anyone was in despair.

When the news of his death broke, swarms of people gathered in our locality to attend his funeral. I saw a sea of people in the funeral yard where his last rites were performed, and the last prayer was offered. I had never seen such a gathering of people attending a funeral here, especially amid the coronavirus scare. People mourned his loss collectively. He will be remembered for his selfless work for the uplifting of the community.

He was a pious soul who prayed five times a day and helped people from all walks of life. I remember when I was young, he used to encourage me to help people in our locality too. I have learned so many good things from him, and his loss is unbearable. We are all in shock after his untimely demise. The surge of emotions is uncontrollable, and we are finding it hard to express our loss in words. We pray for his soul to rest in peace.