By Sonu. My cousin Popu. The world may know him as Georgie, however, to me he was, is, and will always be my awesome cousin Popu. Popu was two years older than me, and we pretty much grew up together in Kolkata. Most of us grow up having that one cousin, neighbour or friend who holds the benchmark for intelligence, discipline and maturity. They are the ones who are examples for you to follow. They are the ones who you’d admire with a tinge of jealousy. Popu was that person in my life, and looking back, I am grateful to have had the chance to share some amazing, unforgettable memories with him.
Growing up, we visited each other pretty often, and were always having a blast at various birthday parties and social gatherings. The peak of our relation has to be the couple months he stayed with us. This was around the early 2000s, when people were smarter than phones. In those days, we pretty much did everything together. We played a ton of cricket. Most of it was in our apartment complex with a few other friends of mine, and the rest was on Brian Lara Cricket 1999. To catch a break from our clearly busy (and fun) schedule, we would gang up to irritate Jonu (this was back when Jonu was barely 4 feet. We obviously wouldn’t try this now).
Popu was wise beyond his age. He was always composed, and calm. I know things weren’t easy for him, but he never showed any signs of worry. It was as if the word “stress” didn’t exist in his dictionary. He was brilliant and always eager to gain knowledge from every available source. It wasn’t a surprise that he was representing his school in various quiz and debating competitions. I looked up to him, and have no shame in admitting that, on a few occasions, I’ve tried to mimic his conversation style to appear smarter amongst my other friends.
Popu and I weren’t really in touch in the last few years. We grew apart after college, as life led us on different paths. In the recent past, we’ve barely had any conversations apart from the occasional WhatsApp messages and birthday wishes. Perhaps we thought we’d catch up and make up for lost time when we’d meet next. Now, I write this note knowing that will never happen, and I realize what I’ve lost. This will remain a pain I’ve to live with for the rest of my life.
During the days he was staying over, I used to keep singing Nsync’s “Bye Bye Bye”. I learnt the entire lyrics and kept singing it all the time. I’m sure he must have been fed up, but I know he liked the song too. In fact, a few years ago he texted me about how that song still reminded him of me. It is tragic that he left us so suddenly and that I didn’t even get say bye.
I’ll conclude by keeping aside the regrets, and instead remember the good times we shared. I thank God for the gift of Popu in my life. He may be gone, but will never be forgotten. Miss you Popu.
- John Verghese (Sonu)
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