To make each day count!

       Nobody wants to hear death news, but each day we hear many. We have to; until our death, because death is inevitable. Even though it brings sorrow, I think I live in a world where people rate ‘death’ differently. Well, I don’t know why but most of the media I follow brings news of a bomb blast or terror attack in London or New York with a lot of enthusiasm but 100’s of deaths in Middle East or Africa for the same reasons just come to us as a daily affair. I don’t know if these media consider some lives are better than others but I just feel like they felt so. Death is horrible, and I don’t think I have to feel differently for anybody according to their country, religion or race, especially when I don’t know them closely. Of course the departure of our closed ones affects us most as they were shared some time with us in person. But why we feel so bad about the demise of a number of people whom we never met?

      I never wanted to hear any death news. It kind of scares me, upsets me; such news shows us the vulnerability of lives. But there is certain death news which made me cry even though I have no clue about the people or others shocked me like hell. I know these people because they were famous but I haven’t shed tears because they were famous, I felt I lost somebody.

     I was 9 year old when I heard the accidental death of Princess Diana. 1997, august probably a Saturday or Sunday, because I didn’t have classes and I was hearing the All India Radio noon news in Malayalam. I heard it and I felt bad and I cried. It was devastating at that time, I still don’t know why. She was the only princess known to me and I only had the information about her from news I heard from radio and I read from the Malayalam newspaper, no other access. I saw her pictures in the newspaper and read about her charity works. I had no clue about Buckingham palace affairs or any other people. I still remember the picture of her with mother Theresa in a Malayalam daily. Apparently that takes me to the next demise which I heard with shock.

    It was not very far from the death of Diana, again I heard it from the radio news, and I lamented why this happens to all good people. Mother Theresa was an angel for me, from whatever I read from books and newspaper. Suddenly I felt people help others die soon and was very unhappy with God then.

     It was in 2003 February, I read the news of Columbia tragedy in the newspaper and I just felt like I was going to explode. All the passengers of the space ship died. I looked at the picture of Kalpana Chawla and just couldn’t move for some time. I had tears in my eyes when I read about the incident in some paper recently and the photo of Kalpana in orange suit is still in my eyes.

     The death of the crocodile hunter Steve Irwin was a shock. I heard it from TV news. And the death by the attack of an animal (a ray) was unbelievable. He was invincible to me. His pleasant face is still a painful memory.

    When I had visited my college to get some information about my graduation results I was asked to download some forms. When I searched on some sites at the internet café I saw the picture of Michael Jackson with some flowers inscribed in front on the web page. Well, I didn’t search much, I checked the things I wanted to know and I came out of the café. I didn’t read any news, I just saw the picture. And whole the way back home, I was thinking what I had seen? I knew what that picture meant, but couldn’t agree with that. How could Michael Jackson die? I was not a hardcore fan of Michael Jackson, in fact I had no idea about albums and troops of anybody than reading it in newspapers and all. But the songs and moves of Michael Jackson had some influence on me. That news made that day a dreadful one.

      The death of Aaron Swartz was come to me through online. Untimely death, that too suicide, felt really unbelievable. The year 2013 thus started on a horrible note. Even though I heard about his name before I had a detailed read about him online just a week before his death. I felt what he was doing amazing and for public. Then when I suddenly heard his death; I kind of felt guilt, I don’t know why. His innocent face still remains in my memory.

      I came to familiar with the face of Paul walker because of the fast and furious series even though I saw one or two other films before. The walk and talk of O’Connor earned a place in my heart. The interview I watched of him showed a man sincere in his talks and actions. But November became a painful memory forever because of the accident that took his life. Well here also I’m not in the die-hard fan category, but that news of accident and death left me, heartbroken.

    Then again three weeks back, I changed channel to news from a film and I saw breaking news which made me say ‘no God, please’, but it was confirmed news; Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is no more. Well, he was a scientist; the missile man, and a former president of India but he was more to people of India. He gave new definition to the word ‘dream’ and probably he was the man who could easily say ‘my life is my message’. I still remember how envious I felt when I got to know that my classmate got a chance to meet Mr Kalam when we were in high school. It was more than meeting the then president of India, he was totally different (with due respect to other presidents). All kids wanted to meet him. He was a humble human life who advised us to modernize our thoughts while uprooted in our culture. So his Death was unimaginable and unexpected, when it happened it put me in great sorrow like millions of other Indians.

      Death is inevitable. Most of the times, we lament on every death. I don’t know whether the above mentioned personalities are equal or perfect in their lives. But even though I didn’t know them personally I felt their loss on various stages of my life. Their deaths came as a shock because of their lives. I don’t know whether they did something amazing, but they did want they want to do in their lives and to many people like me, theirs become extra ordinary lives. We cherished their lives, so their deaths become our personal loss. This is very important now because it is a time when many demands death of humans because of the life they led. If we can live and cherish our lives with dignity then why should choose the lives of condemned? Consider the situation of millions mourning a death and millions demanding another death, the whole difference comes from the difference in life they led. If everyone understands the value of lives then there will be no violence and murders (which include the murders of the murderers). Use the freedom we have to change our lives and the lives of people around us in a good way. Live life and let live.