A Man of God.

My uncle S. Tirlok Singh was a simple soul. Nobody knew his date of birth as in those days no one docketed such events in villages. He was the last living brother of my father ( my father and one of his brother had passed away earlier). The man was a like a saint. No vices, walked to every place ie, his fields, relatives, even to the nearest town and city. He did not attend any school. He did not even learn how to ride a bicycle. He never talked ill of any one. He would visit near and far off Gurdwaras (religious places) on foot and would do free service for many days. He was never in a hurry for anything in life, in fact I had often seen my grandfather pushing him hard to finish his agriculture tasks. He would often visit his relatives and stay there for long durations till he was forced or convinced to return to his kins. Though not formally educated he would compose Punjabi poetry and attempt to sing his compositions. He had nicknamed himself as Sital (after a famous Punjabi singer).

The man had simplest of habits. He did not use any telephone leave aside mobile and barely used currency even, only when it was extremely essential. He was a simple farmer and a religious man. He did possess a family though and is survived by his aged wife, sons, daughters and grandchildren. But he hardly had any attachment with his family and would leave them and disappear for long stretches of period. He was physically very fit and never took any medicines, he simply walked throughout his life. He would be pleased with small things in his life like offer of a good meal or a peg of liquor.

At the age of approximately 84 he walked to his fields for his morning routine and collapsed on the way, I suppose he would have died peacefully.

In this materialistic world where each one of us ( including myself) are running from pillar to post, creating assets, tied up with cellphones, smartphones , laptops and iPads with no time for self and family; the life of my uncle stands unique, he had all the time in the world with hardly any materialistic requirement.  To sum up my homage I remember an old saying of Punjabi.

” Chale Gaye Allah de log,

Na koi hirakh na koi Afsos”

Means, the God’s person has gone, others hardly feel anything

Guchi.