A Tribute to My Dear Wife - Jasmin Virk.

A Tribute to My Dear Wife, Jasmin Virk

The light that lit up our lives for 38 years has left us.

The world today looks dark, foggy and cold.

As I grope through this darkness and cold 

and see the lonely road ahead winding upwards, 

I begin to realise the fragility and vulnerability of life.

I know, the better half of me,

 is gone forever and today, I feel so hollow & empty. 

I also know, however hard I may 

try to fill this hollowness in me, 

I will never be ‘complete’ again. 

But, what I also do know is that I will be able 

to wipe out the last six years of pain and suffering

 and try and fill this hollowness 

with the wonderful moments and memories 

we created as we held hands and travelled through 

the 38 glorious years we spent with each other. 

I was just too blessed and would 

always remain thankful and indebted 

that she chose to spend this lifetime with me,

- the evolved soul that ‘she’ was !!!

I also do know that one day this darkness will begin to lift 

and I will be able to see, maybe somewhat hazily, 

through this fog that engulfs me today, 

but see I will, and come to some kind of terms 

to address the balance of my life with a smile on my face, 

because I know, that what is Jasmin would want me to do 

and I know she will guide me through these paces 

as I begin to learn to take 

baby steps once again, without her by my side.

I still remember that evening vividly 

when I first set eyes on Jasmin. 

I was in IMA and she was a little school girl who 

had accompanied her Teacher, Athena, 

our Deputy Commandant Maj Gen Sharma’s daughter,

for this horse-show in which I was participating.

Gen Sharma had a Greek wife and Athena was 

a neat mix of the legendary good looking Greek 

women with Indian Bloodlines,

or that’s the way she appeared to us lot with ‘starved eyes’ !!!

The horse-show consisted of a standing salute for the dignitaries,

followed by show-jumping and tent pegging.

With this over, it was a little bit of fun and games.

There was a treasure hunt where, we riders were 

to draw names of the participating ladies 

from this august audience,

 from a bowl consisting of slips with their names.

As luck would have it and as was destined, 

I had picked Athena as my partner.

After picking out their names, the ladies were made to line up 

on one end of the field and we, on horseback, were given 10 seconds 

to recognize the shoes/sandals of our respective partners.

All these shoes and sandals were then 

put in a large basket and jumbled up.

We were to ride at full gallop from the other end of the field,

dismount, pick out the sandals of our respective partners and 

gallop back across the field to the finish line. 

All this with the ladies crowding around the basket,

shouting and laughing trying to guide their respective partners. 

Though I did manage

to ride back pretty much up in front but, to my 

and Athena’s dismay, I had picked the wrong pair. 

But it was all good fun, amidst lots of laughter.

It was then that I had met this shy pretty girl. 

What struck me most about ‘Her’ and lingered on for a long long time, 

besides her striking good looks of course, 

was her innocence and that ‘untouched by the world’ look, 

which pretty much stayed with her, her whole life.

It was only many years later that Jasmin told me

how enamoured she had been, seeing this handsome

surd Gentleman Cadet, in a sky blue turban and beige breeches,

as he galloped away giving the standing salute followed by the 

other parts of the horse-show.....and even then, 

I remember, she was blushing away.

Life took us apart, as on commissioning 

I was posted to some Godforsaken area in the

eastern part of the Country, much against what I wanted. 

But, Providence & destiny prevailed 

& brought us together again,

to share this wonderful journey of life - together. 

And what we led was, pretty much, a charmed life

for 32 wondrous years, before this dreaded crab struck.

Along this blissful journey of ours, 

we were blessed with two amazing children, 

my daughter, Gulnar & my son, Yuvraj. 

Today, when I begin to look back 

through the ‘back-view’ mirror,

with tear laden eyes, I see a long winding path 

behind, strewn with rose petals and flowers 

weaving its way through this beautiful valley 

surrounded by the most amazing moments & memories

we created together.

And that’s what, hopefully, 

I wish to keep seeing and remembering

as I, totteringly, trudge this lonely road ahead.

~ Till we meet again my love !!!!! ~

~   A huge limb from the Family Tree has fallen.

I keep hearing a whisper from the skies, 

“Grieve not for me”,

Remember the best times, the lovely moments, 

the laughter, the song.

The good life I lived while I was strong.

Continue my heritage, I’m counting on you.

Keep smiling & surely the sun will shine through.

My mind is at ease, I am pain free & my soul is at rest.

Remembering you all, how truly I was blessed.

Continue traditions, no matter how small.

Get on with your lives, don’t worry about the falls.

I miss you all dearly and will wait,

till the day when we are together again.   ~

A Thank You Note

Last, but by no stretch the least, I wish to express 

my heartfelt gratitude

to all my ‘brothers from other Mothers’, 

who reached out to me, Gulnar & Yuvraj,

and to those who gave me a 

shoulder to lean on during our hour of grief.

A very special and my ardent heartfelt gratitude 

to Mickey Chhibber,

supported by Cdo KK,

who orgainsed the entire last rites

ceremony for Jasmin with so much of decorum, grace, 

peace & precision at the Brar Square,

with able assistance from

Robin Soni & Jagbir Cheema.

My heartfelt gratitude to all my brothers 

who were physically present at the Brar Square 

and subsequently at the Gurudwara, where we did the 

‘Bhog & Antim Ardas’.

A special thanks too to Lalit Pandey, Jagbir Cheema 

& Shekhar Naidu who travelled all the way

from their respective stations to be with me at my hour of grief.

It was a very befitting tribute paid to 

my dear, Jasmin, 

as we laid her to rest and sent her

for her onward journey to eternal bliss & happiness.

On 13th Jul evening when we had come back home 

from the Brar Square,

we were all sitting together on my deck outside.

Each one of us grieving in our own way.

Most of my son’s friends who were with us, came up to me and 

told me, “Uncle, I think we may have attended 

about 14 to 15 cremations in our lives so far.

Never have we seen one done the way it was done 

for Aunty at the Brar Square”. 

~That said it all~

~ Thank you my 'Brothers From Other Mothers'. ~


~ And what is it to cease breathing, but to 

free the breath from its restless tides, 

that it may rise and expand and 

seek WaheGuru Ji unencumbered ? ~