the grim reaper and KKG

Comrade KKG is gone into the vast blue yonder way over into the great beyond to the mighty clubhouse where all souls go after their bodies are consigned to the flames, earth and the vultures . So there was this vast crackle and puff that was the end of his earthly remains , all over in an hour and all that remains of him now is a series of very recent pictures taken on the old trusty nokia , the older ones having been eliminated as they seem unfamiliar- three very typical poses staring straight into the lens - glowering and so typically mulishly stubborn and not willing to buy any ideas especially BRG's , blase and a little tired in the next and full of childish delight with the sweetest of sweet smiles in the last as I coaxed him to give me one more smile ., in retrospect there's tiredness , pain, helplesslessness and the unvoiced personal indignity of dependence on others...

and so Tani sings one last song with her make believe guitar and a lot of hip swinging .. and then the little one gives KKG's dead face one last tight kiss and trudges away without another backward glance to give her final exam while her heart breaks ..and she's glued it tight with all the reserve that a 13 year old can gather at such times and I weep silently to see her doughty little figure walk away ...it's at moments such as this that children grow up suddenly .. and all those questions as to where exactly KKG is on this final momentuous journey will come later when we are in bed ..for the other one comfort comes in putting on the much washed grey t shirt that the Comrade wore and curling up on his bed and sleeping and then waking up and sitting on his chair for a read and putting up her feet on his foot rest ... and the indomitable BRG deals with her grief by putting the mountain of fruit and sweets that people will insist on bringing , into polythene carrybags and sending them around to the neighbours ... later life will take its course and KKG will , join Ruby and Mukul on the shelf, his picture frame a little newer ..