Deva...

I first met Deva in 2004... we were both rather cautious at the start... he was replacing the boss of that time... who I was not too fond of, and I am sure that he had received some indifferent feedback on me.. Very soon, we put all that behind us and were very close. Deva was a brilliant adminstrator, had an innate understanding of numbers, and was one of the best managers I ever had... I soon moved out of his portfolio, but we became fast friends.. And there is hardly a week that goes by that I don't recall something or the other about someone who was a friend, a brother, and a guide to me...

 

You must have guessed by now... Deva is no more... he left us in 2014 after a massive heart attack in the morning one fine day in Korea at the age of 43... My only regret... I had promised that I would visit him there... and I could not keep my promise.. atleast, I will go and spend some time by his grave in some remote corner in Coastal Tamil Nadu...

 

For those who have never met Deva, it would be difficult to imagine a person who was so much fun to be around with... so warm, vivant, and full of life... with his wide smile... passionate, emotional and generous to a fault...

 

There are many incidents involving Deva... during our stay in Minneapolis...that I will never forget.. here are some of them...

 

...When I first saw Deva outside work at JC Penney... in the women's undergarments section.. I quickly called my wife and showed her my new Boss... it was really funny and Deva looked rather nonplussed...

 

...Deva at Bombay Bistro.. taking a dare and gulping down a bowl full of Red Chilli... we had the meal free... Ajay (the owner) never took a bet with any of us again...

 

...Deva at work in the midst of one of the gravest crisis... shouting, laughing, calling folks names, coaxing, cajoling and bullying all of us; but always with the end goal in mind...

 

...Deva mimicing some of the people we knew... and all of us rolling on the ground with laughter...

 

...Deva, at Holani's birthday competing on how fast we could gulp down glasses of scotch... and winning hands down every single time...

 

...Deva, the life of the party, at his farewell enjoying the Timberwolves memorablia that we got for him...

 

...Deva the perfect host... at his home during Easter Week... and Maggi serving us Idlis, Dosas, Mutton... and a host of other savories...

 

and finally... life in Minneapolis after Deva moved off... boring, lifeless, and never the same again...

Even when I moved to Delhi towards the end of 2009, my old friend Deva was my reference for my new job... and he visited me in Delhi with a Korean colleague of his and we had fun catching up over an evening of food... that was the last I would share a meal with him.

 

The last time I met Deva was in the Delhi IGI Airport.. I was flying to SFO and he to Seoul - and we shared a hop to Hong Kong.. he looked a bit tired, was graying at his temples, but was overjoyed to see me... I was a bit angry at him for not having contacted me during his trip.. but he apologized saying that he was there only for a day.. and promised next time...

 

Alas.. there was no next time... when Maggi called me and let me know that he was no more, it took me a long time to even understand... let alone believe... Even now when I walk along the airport corridors during my frequent trips, I look here and there.. hoping that it was all a nightmare and I will see my old friend Deva with his winning smile and buoyant steps walking towards me...