Part 3 – Obituary to Self: Journey of the Living
Alicia Souza, Illustration Artist
“She was happy in life. And hopefully in death, if there are dogs in heaven.
There will be no service, as per her living request.”
Nihal Ahmed, Social Entrepreneur & Impact Creator
“Nihal Ahmed passed away peacefully on the 6th of October in his country home in Algonquin National Park at the age of 81. He leaves behind his wife and two children and a close extended family of 30. His work created possibilities for millions in the age of automation, to live their lives with meaning and purpose, and he was a living manifestation of his company, Limitless.
He let passion persuade him and dreams direct him; he harnessed hope from others and turned them into plans for realization, he brought order into chaos, made people not be afraid of their light and his lexicon made any thought a possibility. He did have his struggles to get here. To shed his identities and embrace the light tango of his soul, to live deeper and not drown, yet, spread his halo and not fade, took a lot out of him. However, his ability to fight this with poise- this makes his life worth celebrating more than all the others.
His work was sacred to him, so was his family. He leaves us memories, anecdotes and an invitation to endanger the ordinary and see the Limitless in us.
His service will be an evening by his country home, followed by some barbeques, fireside conversations and some light music with close friends and family. And in his typical fashion, the theme of the evening will be, ‘Finish your story.’”
Aishwarya Shashi Kumar, Behaviour Architect
“Conversing with You:
I’ve thought about you at length
And have come to this conclusion:
There really never is a good time for you to arrive.
I’m in no rush to be Remembered
Life is always left to be lived;
People meant to be loved
Experiences meant to be had.
But you, Death?
You’re taciturn, impartial,
And oh-so inevitable.
But if you’d be so kind
To leave me a choice,
Here’s what I’d pick
So just imagine this:
I’m dancing the way I do
When I see you approach.
My mind scrambles for a memory
And suddenly, clarity.
I kissed them goodbye
And yelled out my love
Over my shoulder this morning.
I’ll smile at you.
And embrace you, Death
An old companion to Life.
My last wish is only one.
That I be Remembered
Just the way I lived,
Just the way I died,
Happily.”
Varun Rajda, MBA Student at Kellogg
“I am Varun, and I passed away in relative peace on the night of 17th December at my home in Awalan, in the foothills of Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary in India. I was 87. I decided to write my own obituary to save my family and friends the trouble of coming up with their own semi-fictionalized accounts of my life.
I like to think I lived my life punching above my weight. I worked in companies and studied at schools with extremely smart, competitive people who I learnt everything from. My parents were both once-in-a-generation people, and I have always pressed hard to live up to their names and actions. I also clearly 'married up': I am leaving behind a brilliant and empathetic life-partner in Ruta. We would say that we are proud to have raised our daughter, but Nandita has always made it own her own. We could not possibly take any credit for her incredible success. I leave behind all the love in my heart for her and her beautiful children.
To everyone at the distillery, I bid you farewell knowing that we have our brightest years ahead of us. We moved to these beautiful hills fifteen years ago with a mission to manufacture a uniquely Indian blend of whiskey and to help build a strong and wealthy community here. It has been a pleasure working with all 450 members of what is now my family.
Please raise a toast to me this evening, and if you must, keep the eulogies short. Love to you all.”
Kalyan Akkipeddi, Founder, ProtoVillage
“He traveled to do different and he learned to walk along
He traveled to change the world and he learned to belong
He traveled to know the right from the wrong and he learned to let go
He traveled to understand and he learned to know
He traveled to learn and he learned to share
He traveled to heal and learned to love
He traveled to reap and he learned to sow
He traveled to find and he learned to see
He traveled to become and he learned to be.
He kept his life simple and did his best to live in a way that contributed to the perpetuation of all life around him.
He passed away on a rainy September morning, at an age of 81, the day of the reunion of all those kids and adults whose lives crossed paths at ProtoVillage, while listening to their joyful stories... exactly a year after his wife's passing away.
He was buried in a small Forest patch he and his wife nourished... Where they would live on as two fig trees.”