A recent tragic chopper crash in Kedarnath left SHASHI DIP bereft of an extraordinary guide and friend, Kala Ramesh
Last Tuesday at the punya bhoomi of Kedarnath, a heart-breaking incident happened that jolted not just me, but the entire country. After darshan, a group of devotees awaited their turn to get back to lower ground through a chopper ride. But something unexpected happened. The chopper met with an accident. Little did I know then that someone who was so close to my heart, my guide and soul sister, Kala Ramesh was among the ill-fated passengers travelling in the chopper.
Kala jee has merged with Lord Mahadev. I must mention here that on the same day, barely a few hours before this horrific accident, she had video-called me from there, beaming with happiness that her wishes of having darshan had finally been granted. She was in Kedarnath and had been able to feel the divine vibrations of the holy place.
At that time, if she had had a premonition that this would be her last ride, then she did not share that with anyone. In that journey, all passengers including the pilot met with an untimely death. This was not just a huge personal loss for me; I’ll venture to say that the world has lost a pure-hearted soul. That was what everyone who knew Kala Ramesh felt.
I will vouch for her exceptional personality. She radiated a powerful and attractive aura with God’s blessing. My friendship with her was only seven years old, but in those seven years, my interactions with her turned out to be like a divine human relationship. We worked together for many good causes and it is hard to believe that she is no more. Today, many among my contacts are grieving with me, even though they had not met her and knew her just through me.
Perhaps it is a truth that needs to be told to the world: that it does not matter if life is not long, but it should be lived big. After her heavenly departure, the countless heartfelt messages that I have received from friends and family spoke of her wonderful aura and friendly nature.
There were some special qualities in this virtuous soul that enabled her to have a unique impact on one and all. Whenever I found myself in her company, I would observe that she was one of the rare souls determined to remain almost unaffected by age, life’s circumstances or changing environment. I believe she remained in the same form that God created us all in, a pure soul. Such simple ordinary people do not carry toxic elements like falsehoods within their being and even while living a worldly life, their soul remains radiant, their heart pure, and their mind, ever calm. They exhale and inhale only love on their breath.
I was able to learn much from her esoteric philosophy of life. Little did she realize that she possessed qualities that were so extraordinary. I consider it my good fortune that I was able to know her and recognize her virtues. Her aura was the result of a determined and difficult sadhana. Like nature and plants, such personalities easily commit themselves to give their best, while remaining dutiful and never deviating from the path of dharma.
While expressing my sympathies to the families of all the devotees who died in the unfortunate chopper crash in Kedarnath, I once again express my heartfelt gratitude to my guide and intimate friend whom I called Badi Didi. She touched so many lives, and in so many ways, and she transformed my way of thinking. It is because of her great deeds that she will live on in our hearts.
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥
ॐ शांति।
In the featured photo, one can spot Kala Ramesh (third from left) in the group of friends, sporting a radiant smile
Shashi Dip is a thinker, bilingual writer, poet, columnist, social activist and an author of the book ‘Waves Within (Horizon and Beyond)’. She is associated with various literary associations and has written more than 200 blogs, 500 quotes in Hindi/Urdu and English and 100 poems in both Hindi and English.