Summer is at the fag-end and Rain Gods are already knocking. Have you noticed the beauty this cusp paints on nature? Colours everywhere - houses, roads, grass become thicker; you can smell earth, air, wood and yes, its time to take your jackets and umbrellas out. So guys, on this beautiful drizzling Sunday I decided to finally complete a pending job I've been postponing for long - saying 'Hi' to a guy who's resting few blocks away. I decided to pay my respects to Bruce Lee, whose movies I have devoured as a child.
Oh man, if you think finding a book in a state library is tough, finding a rare song on Internet is tough, you must try finding a grave in a quiet cemetery. It’s undoubtedly the toughest treasure hunt - no clues, no signboards, no maps, no arranged order, JUST NOTHING. The only things you can count on are curiosity and tonnes and tonnes of patience. I paid my respects to this guy in straight 5 mins, but not before I walked 40 mins in what seemed like a maze of countless stones and I made at least 3 misjudgements. Anyways I'm glad I finally got it. And the thoughts, memories which ran berserk inside my head in those 5 mins were worth the effort spent.
So guys, no prizes for guessing, this time my subject is the eerie world of deaths, graves, epitaphs etc . Having travelled a decent amount in India (Mark Twain’s ‘mother of history’), has made me visit many graves, tombs etc. Also, I have read quite a bit to realise that interesting people continue to be interesting - in their own way - even after they are dead. So here's putting my eclectic thoughts together on some of them:
1) Vasco Da Gama, the famous Portuguese explorer was buried thrice. First in Kochi, India where died. Later he was dug out and taken to Portugal where he was interred in a church. When the church underwent a renovation, the poor man was once again disturbed and was buried for the final time.
2) After Charlie Chaplin left USA famously remarking "I won’t return to America even if Jesus Christ becomes the President" he settled in Switzerland. He died and was buried there. But so popular was he that even his dead body was stolen from his grave. It was finally traced by the Swiss police and put back in place.
3) Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, died the most dramatic way. I cannot expand that topic here because it is quite long. But just for you to know, his ashes are still kept in an urn in Pune, India. It was his last wish that his ashes be submerged in river Sindhu, when it flows again inside Indian frontiers, no matter how may generations it takes.
4) "Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, 'Let Newton be!' and all was light". - Pope's composition on Newton's grave. Befitting.
5) "I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter" - Churchill's
6) On the western tip of India is a historic temple - Somnath. The nearest rail station to reach this temple is Veraval in Gujarat. On the small bumpy ride from the station to this temple you'd most certainly miss another very small, low-profile temple of great importance. This is where Lord Krishna was felled. This temple has him lying with an arrow on his leg. The guy who shot this arrow is shown seeking pardon.
7) Kurt Cobain's suicide note ("Its better to burn out than to fade away") is pretty famous. But did you know that one of the best minds in business, George Eastman, also committed suicide. His note read - "My work is done. Why wait?"
When I first read this years ago, I went dumb the entire day. I kept thinking 'How can a guy like Eastman commit suicide?'. To me, if business world ever had a one-man army, it was him. Even Bill Gates owes a part of his success to another whiz (Paul Allen). George Eastman was the absolute creator.
9) This mail is getting too long. I will end this list with my all time favourite epitaph.
"Blest be the man that spares these stones. And curst be he that moves my bones" - William Shakespeare.
Till next time I'm ruminating again,
~Gattu
Obviously I found the typical things (flowers, flags, notes, bracelets) on this grave. But there was something else too which I found very interesting. Two Americans wrote their tributes on a pair of chopsticks. That was one creative blend, or so I thought.
Oh man, if you think finding a book in a state library is tough, finding a rare song on Internet is tough, you must try finding a grave in a quiet cemetery. It’s undoubtedly the toughest treasure hunt - no clues, no signboards, no maps, no arranged order, JUST NOTHING. The only things you can count on are curiosity and tonnes and tonnes of patience. I paid my respects to this guy in straight 5 mins, but not before I walked 40 mins in what seemed like a maze of countless stones and I made at least 3 misjudgements. Anyways I'm glad I finally got it. And the thoughts, memories which ran berserk inside my head in those 5 mins were worth the effort spent.
So guys, no prizes for guessing, this time my subject is the eerie world of deaths, graves, epitaphs etc . Having travelled a decent amount in India (Mark Twain’s ‘mother of history’), has made me visit many graves, tombs etc. Also, I have read quite a bit to realise that interesting people continue to be interesting - in their own way - even after they are dead. So here's putting my eclectic thoughts together on some of them:
1) Vasco Da Gama, the famous Portuguese explorer was buried thrice. First in Kochi, India where died. Later he was dug out and taken to Portugal where he was interred in a church. When the church underwent a renovation, the poor man was once again disturbed and was buried for the final time.
2) After Charlie Chaplin left USA famously remarking "I won’t return to America even if Jesus Christ becomes the President" he settled in Switzerland. He died and was buried there. But so popular was he that even his dead body was stolen from his grave. It was finally traced by the Swiss police and put back in place.
3) Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, died the most dramatic way. I cannot expand that topic here because it is quite long. But just for you to know, his ashes are still kept in an urn in Pune, India. It was his last wish that his ashes be submerged in river Sindhu, when it flows again inside Indian frontiers, no matter how may generations it takes.
4) "Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, 'Let Newton be!' and all was light". - Pope's composition on Newton's grave. Befitting.
5) "I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter" - Churchill's
6) On the western tip of India is a historic temple - Somnath. The nearest rail station to reach this temple is Veraval in Gujarat. On the small bumpy ride from the station to this temple you'd most certainly miss another very small, low-profile temple of great importance. This is where Lord Krishna was felled. This temple has him lying with an arrow on his leg. The guy who shot this arrow is shown seeking pardon.
7) Kurt Cobain's suicide note ("Its better to burn out than to fade away") is pretty famous. But did you know that one of the best minds in business, George Eastman, also committed suicide. His note read - "My work is done. Why wait?"
When I first read this years ago, I went dumb the entire day. I kept thinking 'How can a guy like Eastman commit suicide?'. To me, if business world ever had a one-man army, it was him. Even Bill Gates owes a part of his success to another whiz (Paul Allen). George Eastman was the absolute creator.
9) This mail is getting too long. I will end this list with my all time favourite epitaph.
"Blest be the man that spares these stones. And curst be he that moves my bones" - William Shakespeare.
Till next time I'm ruminating again,
~Gattu
Obviously I found the typical things (flowers, flags, notes, bracelets) on this grave. But there was something else too which I found very interesting. Two Americans wrote their tributes on a pair of chopsticks. That was one creative blend, or so I thought.
