The Unforgettable Inland Letter

Dr Ranbir Laishram

Oh ! My friend,
Decades of friendship,
Decades of closeness and separation,
By time, place and profession
I still vividly remember you.
You still dwell in my heart.

An afternoon, five decades ago
Coming out of our college exam hall
Sitting in front of my Humber bicycle,
Your silence was broken by a sob
And broke the news of you being expelled from college .
Just for writting a few words on wooden scale ruler
For then,discipline was very strict and penalty liberal.
You left for another university with deep pain and hurt.

Years after, one fine afternoon
After my morning class,
I received one postal Inland letter ,
First and last  from you in my lifetime,
With profound emotion You wrote -
"Dear friend, I shall try to become a famous person one day; so also you should try".

My friend, you kept your promise,
Your vision and hope,
Your dedication and determination,
Your dream and goal,
Became a reality as the years rolled by.
Your commitment and untiring effort,
All bloomed to its fullest.

Oh! My friend
You are no more in our midst now,
But our childhood days,
Our moments of joy and grief,
I remember more and more,
As I grow older.
Your talent, and your indomitable spirit,
Your melodious voice and your stage performance ,
Will continue to dwell in our hearts forever.