Biku was the central piece, inadvertently, always. A few weeks with little bear (Sanober Umar), a friendship was forged with this droopy eyed, funny-guy called Biku. I also knew, one Ashish Yechury was in their class. Then came an Autumn in 2005. It felt like there will never be another Autumn. It was my first tryst with freedom. I still remember lying around on the SCR (college)lawns, liberated. Here comes Biku with his bag falling from his shoulder on a holiday! Couldn’t resist asking him, “dude who the f*** is this Ashish Yechury?”

“Seriously! Seriously!” quipped in his usual self. A line that is impossible to miss in any conversations with Biku. “Bugger! It’s me”. Coming from Kerala, Yechury Sr was an enigma and in UPA1 he was demigod. And here, I split nimbu pani and samosa, evenly by ₹5 coupons, with his unassuming son for a semester. Must say coupons were like $ bonds.

Next year, I asked him to make a mock call to Yechury Sr in a college society interview. We’re laughing, but poor guy obliged!

Came another autumn in 2006. Six of us in a 52 hours train to Kerala, second class sleeper, cheap as hell. At Vijayawada station, Biku was almost left behind. In Kerala, he can’t see a thing with his eye being infected. The whole time in the beach he was trying to save his eye from any water contact. Look at him! Then comes LMAO moment, waves took him down and his infection is gone!

Who breaks his -3 spectacles a day before a jungle trek? Biku. Who was going to piss on an electric fence? Biku. Who dreamt of leopards at night? Biku. Who gets most swamped by leeches? Biku. Who goes on clicking a bull elephant? Biku.

Look at that photo at Munnar. That was him laughing at himself. He’d to go early and we mock cried like sending a bride away. “chup re!” he’d said and left. When he left us this time, I wept. But I realised he left memories for a lifetime with his innocence. RIP my friend.