Grieving with a shocking death in the family, the last few
days have been quiet and somber. Indian traditions for post-death ceremonies
vary vastly depending upon religion, region, and caste. Basically we held a two hour ‘besna’
(bes means sit) for everyone that knew Akash (younger cousin, 20 years old) to
come spend time together and pay respects to the family. During the ceremony,
there was traditional music performed as well as prayers lead. Other than that,
we have been staying in the home and spending time with family/friends who
visit.
Akash was a very lively guy who was passionate about cars,
food, and music. This was my first time building a relationship with him and
after a few weeks I had begun to treat him as a little brother. He was
constantly out with friends after dinner and created many schemes to get out of
classwork- reminded me of my high school days. I was consistently amused and
secretly a fan of the hip-hop he’d have playing in the car and will always
remember his carefree attitude and loving personality.
This morning was the first time we ventured out of the house.
We chose to drive to a lake (Thol Lake) about 40 km away from the city. The
lake is also a bird sanctuary and we came to watch the sunrise. Waking up
before dawn was difficult, but the views were peaceful and getting out of the
house was a good break. There is no quick solution to a tragedy like this but starting
to understand the strength of the human spirit and spending time writing, reading,
and connecting with family.