Amitava Charaborty - Death of a friend.

Till now Facebook has brought me news of births,promotions, jobs,academic excellence,engagements, marriages, anniversaries and off course birthdays of my dear friends. Today for the first time, I learnt about the death of a Facebook friend. I clarify here that I had also known him personally, may not be very closely.

Whenever we learn about the death of  a friend, relative, neighbour , ex-colleague,  or anybody known , whom we have not seen for many days , the mind does not register it immediately, Because of the loose bonds and detachment due to the vagaries of time and space, the person may not have been in the inner periphery of conscious thought to make us feel the grief or sadness that numbs us  as in the case of a the death of a very much loved person.
But then,in leisure or in free time, as the mind relates the news with the person and the events and moments spent with him/her, however small, all of a sudden, a rush of memory flows . The flashback of event plays on the mind and we realise that  so much time has passed away and life has changed such a lot for everyone of us.
Surprised why I am writing all this ?  Having all these thoughts because of  a news of death received today on Facebook from the post  @Syamal Kumar Bhanjachoudhury. My old colleague Mr Amitava Chakraborty passed away at Siliguri. He had retired from SBI a year back . My interaction with him was during the period I was posted in North Bengal and mainly at SBI Siliguri Branch. He was a very active member and an office bearer of the SBI Officers' Association and my activities brought me in contact with him often, sometimes aligned and some other times against. We were not chums or great friends.  But enjoyed a good relationship and shared cigarettes  and tea sometimes over discussions . That's it.
Recently we got in touch with each other and became friends on Facebook. He was not very regular here but still we were in touch .So it is with a sense of sadness mixed with remembrance that I bid him audieu with prayers for his soul to rest in peace and strength to the bereaved family members. His death saddens me  no doubt but has also brought me face to face with some questions.

Had Bhanja-da not broken the news, I would have never known it. Amitava da would remain a part of my distant past without me spending much thought on him . And I may or may not learn about his death ever. He would always be alive for me. So the utility of Facebook or Social networking is proved once again. There is nothing like keeping in touch with people who are or were a part of of our lives, for however small period it may be. And it spreads the message, good or bad. Or is it a distraction that binds us with silly sentiments?
So what happens to his Facebook wall now?  Will it remain like that for eternity. I have posted a message there for his departed soul, however foolish it might seem . That's because I did not want any person unaware about his death posting a birthday message or a joke on his wall by ignorance.
What will happen to me if and when I die suddenly  ? My facebook page and status will still be current? I think I will give my facebook password to my son to post my obituary and then deactivate the pages later in case of my death. 
And my friends , lastly, if ever you get the news of my death on Facebook and don't know what to do with the news,just remember me once and then release my memory with a smile.

Believe me - I will Like it !