Eulogy for our dear friend Kapil

Sept 20, 1975 was a very special day for a family at Angamaly, a small town in Ernakulam district, in Kerala. The family was blessed with the wailing sound of a baby boy..Kapil was welcomed into the world, into the loving hands of his parents. 

With every birth, a dream is born. Dreams of health, wealth and merry showering on to the baby...This birth was no exception either. He was a brilliant and a smart student, graduating from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, where we met him. The foundation for a beautiful friendship was laid there, to see it grow deeper and deeper over the years to come.

Kapil was a very special person. He was to all of us, a true friend. To describe Kapil, one would use words like selfless, dynamic, sacrificial, protector, focused - a complete man in the truest sense. He knew how to enjoy life to it fullest – he was a true joy to be around. 

And enjoy life he did – He loved cricket, loved to explore the world, loved to crack difficult problems, and had a great time putting together puzzles. He loved numbers and had a wacky way of remembering license plates! He loved a well cooked Kerala meal - of course, the fish fry-"meeen poricchathu", mutton fry and he talked about them often. 

He valued his family and friends. To him they were everything. He would sacrifice anything for them. He had a very soft heart. A stranger was always welcome and made to feel like one of the family. He knew how hard it was to be alone having lost his father, and he made sure that anyone in his world would never feel alone. 

It was a very very sad day for all of us when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer-Mesothelioma, at a prime age of 30. Kapil faced his illness with a courage, and a determination, that left us in awe. He was determined to be independent, he was stubborn as a mule, and woe to the person that tried to control him, to talk down to him, to make him be what they thought he should be. He kept his illness in check largely with a mental self discipline that we can only admire. Yet, till the day he died, 2nd July 2006, less than a year of his diagnosis, he was never, never bitter. It wasn't in his character. And he could always, always laugh at himself. 

His spirit lives on in all of us. His unconditional love of family and friends will not be forgotten. As we remember him, we know that he is smiling down at us from heaven, at peace with himself and comforted by His blessings. You see only his body is gone. His life, his values, his beliefs can live on past his life. In that way – although Kapil is gone, he can continue to live and influence for years to come. 

God brings people into our lives for a purpose. God brought Kapil into each of our lives for a reason. We were allowed the privilege to know and share in his life. You and I have memories or events that you shared with him - Lessons we saw in his life. Treasure those memories.

Kapil was many things. He was courageous. He was intelligent. He was incredibly funny. He was immensely talented. He was great company, he was as good, and as true a friend as any person could hope for. We were privileged to know him, and to call him our friend. 

We hope, we pray, we know he has found peace. 

Special people leave a void for the people who remain behind, and he sure did leave a big one in all of us. 

We'll miss you. 

Dear Friends of Kapil