During one of our visits to US to meet our children, we became friends with an elderly couple. A sprightly Sikh gentleman, Mr Santbir Singh and his wife Tej became our favorites simply because they were so warm and hospitable and looked forward to meeting us. They took a genuine liking for us. And it was mutual. Very elegant and well dressed, Santbir Singhji will always have a twinkle in his eyes when we met him. He would salute me every time just because I had served in the army. Senior to me by a few years, I called him 'General' and in jest warned him not to salute a junior like me;I told him that it was an offense for which he could be punished!
As time passed, we became close friends and we shared with each other our many memories. He confided in me the story of his life in bits and pieces. He belonged to a flourishing and prosperous farmer family in India. As a young man, he had travelled abroad to England for education where he took a degree in aeronautical engineering. Unfortunately, because of his aging father's illness, he had to return to India soon. After the death of his father, he took care of his siblings and family.
In due course of time, he got married. As luck would have it, in a joint family, he and his wife had to make many adjustments. And then they decided to travel to distant lands. Full of an adventurous spirit, they went to many countries including Canada and the US. A large part of their journey was by road, he driving with his wife, which they enjoyed very much. Finally, they decided to settle down in US. They built a nice house in a small town in California where, decades later, we were the recipients of many excellent meals. The couple was always truly 'Punjabi' in their hospitality.
Santbir Singhji had a great sense of humor. He carried himself with a style and charm of his own. He narrated to me many stories of his eventful life. He was aware about my hobby of postings on Facebook (where I indulge in writing about my random thoughts on life in general, real and fiction!). Half seriously, he suggested to me to write about the story of his life for posterity. On my part, I seriously considered to do that because I found his life story very interesting, intense and worth the effort. So, during our one interaction, I suggested to him that we meet and plan as to how to go about it. As a starter, I needed to meet him more often over a period of time. Somehow, I could not manage to do that sooner and then it was time for me and my wife to return to India. I promised myself that I would undertake the project during our next visit to US.
We retuned to Pune, India in July. We knew that my dear friend was suffering from many illnesses even if he remained cheerfully galant as we saw him before we left US. But we never suspected that we would never be able to see him again, that his journey through life was about to end very soon! I hoped and wished that we would soon visit US again and I would be able to undertake the project of writing the story of his life to the best of my ability.
To my eternal shock, that was not to be; I got the shattering mail from a common friend! Our dear friend, 'General' Santbir Singh had passed away, surrounded by his near and dear ones!
