My Friend Prakash

 My friend Prakash seems to have been extinguished from our lives when a couple of days back I saw a message announcing that he was no more following a massive myocardial infarction. For a moment I was hoping this is fake news but nobody on the group would ever post something like this even as fake news. I refuse to use the past tense for him as he has been present in my life and in the lives of almost all of us.

A charmer and a style icon to the core but beneath all the external veneer there throbbed a heart of gold. We remain his extended family and without exception we love him. The idea that that we as successful doctors should contribute back to society in our own way became an inspiration to create a platform for facilitating this kind of work. The theoretical idealist made me suggest many grand ideas but my friend Prakash realized that charity has to be not necessarily a serious business but can be  mixed with fun and frolic to be more effective. Prakash infuses a rare energy into this and is an enthusiastic participant in every single project and its fund raising effort. A generosity which is incomparable and and his charm which transcends all barriers resulted in significant contribution which exceeded targets set aside by the group. His family also got completely involved in the charity effort. 

While it is extremely easy to talk of the soul and condole a loss of such magnitude I realize that Prakash would have had it no other way. Therefore I refused to mourn his death but I wish to celebrate his life and in doing so try to emulate his example and plunge myself in enhancing his work. I do not know weather I can carry the class with me in requesting us to at least if not  rename the trust at least create a fund in his name. People like Prakash come once in a lifetime but never go away. So my dear friend I can feel your presence as do everyone of us feel him now and forever.