To Amrit

A lanky boy on the second last bench,
With ever a smiling face
Earnest, sincere, yet mischievous
I'll never forget his assignment with the "f....." phrase.

A bus ride with him as your companion
Could mean a second degree inquisition.
Polite yet confident, he would know the reasons
Why I was not married yet, what were my ambitions.

With other students ‘shush’ing him, an apology
He SMSed later, for overstepping boundaries, if any.
Coming in on a rainy day with a badly hurt foot
To see a Culture Studies class movie, though he was excused!

Early morning phone calls to state
Excuses for a project delayed.
Never let me down though when it mattered
Optimistic, easy-going, rarely dejected.

So many snapshots of him that I recollect:
A toy on the ceiling, a career guidance request,
Working harder when I would his assignment reject,
Mostly teasing Deepti to misery abject.

As semesters passed, he only got thinner
I teased him even about fading away altogether.
Today, a sad day for all, that we will no more see this bright spark
Yet, can I truly state that, when he resides in our heart?

-I will miss you Amrit Bansal – For me you will ever be associated with 7 – your Roll No. when you joined FY.
- Written on 10 May 2010.