October 23, 2026
Tomorrow is never promised, so cherish people, reconnect with those who are distant, and forgive where you can. I have come across this thought often, yet only now do I truly understand what it means.
A recent incident changed how I see this.
I grew up in Bangalore in a lower middle class family, living in a rented house. There were four houses in one compound, with our front door facing another. In the house opposite ours lived an aunty.
She knew me from the day I was born, and our bond continued until we shifted houses when I was about six years old. And in all those years, there wasn't a single day she didn't speak to me. She played with me, carried me, hugged me, teased me with the few Konkani words she knew, like "Sonu, zov go".
There was a bond between us that continued for years.
After that, when I was six, we moved to a slightly different area and aunty, along with her brothers and sisters, relocated elsewhere. From then on, our conversations became very limited. Mainly because of the distance, and also the lack of means to communicate. Mobile phones were rare back then and landlines were a luxury we couldn't afford. And by the time we did get a landline, we no longer had her number to stay in touch.
Years later, towards the end of my school days, we heard that she was getting married and we were invited. They had gathered our contact through our mutual neighbours. Due to unavoidable reasons, we couldn't attend the wedding. But from then on, we began keeping in touch again.
She had happily settled in Mysore and we continued to remain in Bangalore.
A few years later, we got a simple Nokia phone and aunty, having married a well-settled man, had her own phone too. Once we exchanged numbers, our conversations began again. It had been ages since we had met, but she would often initiate calls and we would spend a good amount of time reminiscing about our old days.
As I got into my teenage years, college and friends took up most of my time and I hardly took a few moments to maintain relationships. Aunty, however, continued to stay in touch with my mom.
Once I got married, aunty made it a point to wish me on my birthday, anniversary, and
Christmas. It has been 12 years since I got married and up until last year, every year aunty called me and wished me for my birthday, anniversary and Christmas.
There were years when I was on vacation and couldn't answer her call, and at times I just brushed it aside. But she would make it a point to call my mom and ask why I wasn't answering, and my mom would call me and make sure I called her back.
Sometimes this felt like too much prying, but at times I genuinely acknowledged that she took the effort to remember my special days and to remember me.
It all changed this year when I did not receive any call from aunty on my wedding anniversary. I did notice it was missing, but I told myself she must be busy with her own family to cater to, and
I let it go.
Just three months later in July, it was my birthday and again, I did not receive any call from aunty. I did mention it to my mom while talking, but soon took it lightly, assuming she was probably just busy or maybe a little angry that she always wished me and I had never attempted to wish her on her special occasions.
Months flew by and in October, when I was visiting Mangalore, one fine morning as I was glancing through my WhatsApp statuses, I noticed her photo with a caption that mentioned she had passed away. I was shocked, traumatised, and left completely blank.
On enquiring, we realized that for the past few months she had been suffering from an aggressive form of brain cancer. A lady who remembered all our special days was unfortunately forgetting everything due to the tumour in her brain.
Hearing this broke my heart. I had last seen her years ago. Every time she called, she insisted I visit her. Since she was in Mysore and I was in Bangalore, the distance was never really an issue. But I always pushed it aside, thinking I could visit her someday.
Unfortunately, that someday never came, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished.
This whole incident made me realize how fragile life is, and more importantly, how important it is to make time for our loved ones.
Sometimes, we push aside and ignore the ones who truly love us. We keep postponing spending time with them.
We keep pushing, but do we ever know when is the last time? They might vanish away in an instant, and we may be left with nothing but regret.
As I shed a tear in deep regret, I remember her love and the effort she took for me. Rare are the people in today's world who take time out for others.
I should have made an attempt to at least see her once, but unfortunately, my inertia made me take a step back.
Today, as I stand remembering her, she will always remain the most special and loved neighbour aunty until my last breath.
So take a pause all of you, outings, vacations and fun can wait. But never stop meeting and spending time with your people.
Those tiny moments might just become a lifetime of memories.
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