In the evening of life, I am in a reminiscent state of mind. A word springs up for attention. The word is Interface. I wanted to be face to face with this word. So I looked into a dictionary; I found:

Interface: (chemistry) a surface forming a common boundary between two things (two objects or liquids or chemical phases).

I feel I dwell on an interface presently. The surface on which I dwell seems to form a common boundary between the spectrum of celebration of living and the ‘black hole’ of death.

About Life and death, one observation craves attention: “life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It is the transition that is painful.”

Persons who have been integral to my existence are receding into the ‘black hole’ rather in an accelerated way. Through each such event I, an integral part of my being, is being lost. And you are still here.. Or are you indeed?

Keep on living without them makes living a peculiar phenomenon. Challenging too!

Living is like that. A lot of persons are there on the bank of a river. Boats would come to take them across one by one. There is no queue. But each would be taken care of. That is certain. Staying at the interface is a unique experience. And a wise man says” Frame your experiences in a way so that there is growth.”

That day I attended the cremation of an acquaintance of Deoghar here at Chandigarh. It was Uday’s mother. She was ailing for quite some time. I was informed of the passing away of the lady on phone.

Cremation took place in the sector 25 crematorium which has provision of Electric cremation as well. I reached Uday’s residence in sector 29. His office staffhad assembled by then. Uday told me that cremation would take place on traditional wooden pyre. We headed for the crematorium with the dead on a van. On reaching the venue it was found they all arrangements were already in place. I learnt later that like packages for travels packages for cremation are also in place these days. Care was taken of each requirement meticulously. It was a task well performed. The pyre was lit. Then we sat for fifteen minutes and then headed back to our respective residences in the same van.