“Ghalle aave Nanaka Sadhe uthi jai”.

Nanak says ‘Once the call comes from the Almighty one gets up and departs.’

We all know that death is an inevitable truth.

Yet when someone passes away we mourn for him.

We constantly remain in fear of death whether we are old or young or sick or healthy.

Death due to old age and sickness is painful but still acceptable.  But when death strikes someone at a very young age or due to any untoward incident like an accident or at the war front or murder it becomes very painful and unacceptable.

Yesterday I came across two such deaths which has disturbed the peace of my mind.  One was that of a policeman (Mr. Mishra) at Waidhan.  He was only 35 years old. While crossing the school of Excellence near Chunkumari Stadium he suffered a stroke and when he was taken to the Govt. Hospital which is situated around 200 meters from the spot he was declared dead by the Doctors.

Second death news that disturbed me was that of an old sevadhar (volunteer) at one of the most religious places of the world, i.e.,    ‘The Golden Temple’.  Day before Bhai Charanjit Singh fell in to the couldron in which ‘chasni’ (water mixed with sugar) was being boiled for preparing ‘kheer’ (a sweet dish) for the free kitchen.  He was rushed to the hospital with 80%burns but ultimately he succumbed to death last evening.

I got to see the pics. of both Mr. Mishra and S. Charanjeet Singh.  Mr. Mishra was lying on the stretcher and his face looked so peaceful as if he was having a little nap and will wake up soon.  There were no signs on his face of severe stroke that took away his life so suddenly.  His face neither reflected pain nor fear.  He was lying there as if he would wake up at one call of his child or wife.

The disturbing factor of S. Charanjeet Singh’s death is the fact that he met with the fatal accident of falling into the cauldron of boiling water with sugar at a place which is known for having blessed innumerable people both in the past and present. It is a place which has miraculously cured people of their ailments like blindness, cancer and lameness.  How trouble can befall on an and old person who had been working in the place for so long ?

I know such places can’t become foolproof from death but still being the mortal that we are these doubts come to our minds.

May the Lord bless the souls of both Mr. Mishra and S. Charanjeet Singh and provide us with more understanding.

S.S. Thaper

06/07/2017