Adieu Commander Shirish Chinmulgund!

Firstly, I must tender my apologies for posting these thoughts so late. Had come to know of his passing away a while back and had added him in my list of those who've travelled along with me in the course of my life and given me lasting memories. The list consisting of close relatives, friends and acquaintances is mentally gone through every morning in my prayers. And as I go through their names, I remember their faces and thank them for having been with me!

This evening, it was during my interaction with Commodore Srikant Kesnur, my cadet and a course mate of his that I came to know of the last days of Shirish. But let me go over to the good times when I'd met him for the first time.

My first brush with Shirish Chinmulgund was in Autumn '82, at the NDA Wing Ghorpuri, Pune when he'd joined as a 1st termer of the 68th NDA Course, in Mike Squadron of which I was one of the Divisional Officers.

The thing that I remember about him was that he was effervescent, laughed very easily, had a lot of pranks up his sleeve and was outgoing. As a DivO, I'd plenty of occasions every day to watch him and his course mates, be it on the morning PT fields, or on the drill square, in the swimming pool, at Academics and on the evening games fields. Interacting with them on a day-to-day basis, I'd begun to be fond of them and their worries and apprehensions had become mine too.

What I remember of Shirish and his friends was the end-of-term-variety-entertainment program put up by their course and they all had fun at my expense, when a course mate of theirs, Atul Sharma, had acted as Lt K Rajeev Nair - in a skit on the "Squadron Bosses, after the cadets left for their academic classes". It was too good and I must say that young Atul was better than the original! 

I'd named their course's band as "The Drill Boots" and Shirish and his team were simply superb. The first few words of the Gorkhali song that they'd sung were "Manko kuraala baaj yahaan ho.....", if my memory serves me right. It was melodious and had touched everyone's hearts.  

My tenure as a DS was for just a year and by Dec '82, I was off to my next posting to INS Venduruthy at Kochi. During my first week in my new environment, I was surprised one evening when Commander and Mrs Chinmulgund (Shirish's parents) had fetched up at my cabin in the Command Mess and took me to their house for dinner - and mind you, it was on Shirish's prodding!. It was a lovely evening that I still remember and after coming to know that Shirish's mom is at Pune, there's a strong reason for me to go there to spend time with her, at the earliest.

Shirish was a pilot in the IN and went on to fly for the Bajaj, as part of his second innings. He was overtaken by dementia over the last few years of his life.

Not to be able to receive, react to and convey one's feelings and thoughts to the other is the most difficult situation to be in but the quintessential outgoing gentleman that he was, I'm sure he must have reciprocated to the others in some way or the other! 

Adieu Shirish. Om Shanti! Sadgati. My tears and prayers.

Am yet to get off the fact that you've preceded me to Valhalla. Just not fair....