He was young, talented, artistic and charismatic. He was one of the youngest research scientists in the world working on Bio Sensor Technology at Austrian Institute of Technology- Vienna. May be his brain would have bestowed him with a noble prize one day.
With such a brain and talent he was also a swagger on the salsa floor. A magnet when it comes to sense of humour, he could make friends in a flash and would fit in anyone's house as a masterpiece.
My brother Kunal. I hate to use the adjective 'was' when it comes to him. When we were kids, I do not remember a single summer holiday without him. Being 2years younger than me, he always fit in my clothes, my shoes, my books, my video games and eventually my soul. We shared the deepest secrets and played the weirdest pranks. I wish Kunal told me his deepest secret
before disappearing into the deep dark sky above.
On March 25, 2013 my brother breathed his last. While in bed after a Skype chat with his mom, Kunal slept off , to never wake up again. To fight the worst winter in Vienna, Kunal had switched on the gas heater. His autopsy report shouted out the accumulation of carbon monoxide in his lungs, that apparently leaked from the gas heater while he was in his sleep. His brain went in state of coma and eventually he left all of us the same night.
Being absent from the lab for 2 days, his other research mates went to see him, opened his door only to find him as rocky as a log and he was declared dead when he was taken to the hospital.
Destiny plays a rough game. Before we moved to Australia, Kunal came to spend a week with us, spent heaps of time doing the same things that we used to do as kids, only to leave scars on my heart as that was the last time we could be kids together.
Kanu as fondly known has now become a question mark. Can you come back my brother? At least show some signs that you are there, just the way some scientists work on the magic of appearing and disappearing!
Love you for all the jungle gyms, flat tyres, cricket matches long talks and long walks. I will always be seeking you while you hide.
Love,
Upoo.