Colleagues No More

 I mean ones who are no more, or who have passed away.

Recently, a former roommate from the school hostel at Hyderabad passed away. He was generally in good health, and had no history of any problems. Just died of a heart attack. 

That made me think of some others who were my colleagues or friends. One was a lively faculty member at IMT in Ghaziabad. I came to know she died after a battle with cancer, after I had left IMT. Had no idea she was ill, even. Maybe it was discovered later. 

Another three that died early. My good friend and classmate at Osmania engineering seems to have had some kind of a rare infection many years ago, and died from it, though most people survive. A colleague at IFIM, and at KIAMS, who may have brought it on himself, with his lifestyle. And earlier, yet another colleague and great friend in the U.S., who also had an early demise, probably caused by some lifestyle and consequential issues.

COVID has been relatively kind to my friends' circle and most who got it came away unscathed. Not so with office colleagues, some of whom lost a loved one.