Page 31 - Seniors Today - July 2021 Issue

enough to sustain an average family for two merchant navy and coming back after an
generations. The few coins that he showed interview with Shipping Corporation of
me at the tea shop were genuine, but not India and I was returning from an audit
the rest of the cache. I was much poorer and assignment. Many times, the first meeting
much chastened, of course. Obviously, my strikes a mutual chord and one continues to
inherent belief that 99 per cent of the people remain in touch. I remember attending his
are straight and honest and that one should wedding in Hoshangabad on December 2,
always help people was demolished and I 1984 and the return journey on December
am ruing it to this day. Only my belief in the 3 in a train full of people fleeing from the
karmic cycle is keeping me equanimous in Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal, just
the face of that significant loss. about 75 km away. The tragedy lays firmly
Talking of strangers on a walk, as a rider etched in my memory as does the train
on the train (by the way, an eponymous journey. It is 42 years now and we continue
1970 Hollywood film), in May 1979, on to be friends to date, nurtured and savoured
my way back from Madras (now Chennai) over the years.
by Dadar Express, I had struck up a Keep Walking, as Johnny is wont to say.
conversation with a co-traveller in the For strangers can enrich your life or teach
second class compartment. He was in you a lesson of a life time.

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want
to give, but cannot. All the unspent love gathers up in the cor-
ners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in the hollow
part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.” – Jamie
Anderson

Psychologists believe writing about grief can reduce pain. Research
Share has found that putting down one’s thoughts about worries and con-
cerns can help those looking for ways to cope with their grief.
Your While writing requires motivation, energy and dedication, it’s easy,

less stressful and all one needs is a pen, paper, computer or your
Grief device keypad. You don’t have to talk to anyone about it.

At Seniors Today, we are happy to provide you a forum to publish
your personal accounts. Simply mail them to us at editor@senior-
stoday.in with Share Your Grief in the subject. Please also include
your name and contact number so that we may contact you in case
we wish to make any clarification. While we would like you to write
the first person account with your name, we will – needless to say –
not disclose your information if you wouldn’t like us to.

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #25 | JULY 2021 31