O B I T U A R Y
|
Harpreet Singh Grewal It is with profound sadness that we have to share the news of
Huppy(Bobby)'s passing away yesterday. While the country celebrated
Shivratri, Huppy breathed his last in Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi.
Fighting Leukaemia for many years he lost the battle finally to leave
his family and friends shattered. |
|
February 20, 2004 Dear Class of 63, I remember Happy in the boxing ring. Hair strewn about. Far from technical. But plucky to the point of craziness. Never gave up. What a fighter. All of us have to go one day, but it seems so damn unfair for lives to be lost before time. I have been fighting the chemical industry for over 15 years now. I have had million dollar defamation and criminal cases filed against me. Why? Because I said that pesticides and chlorinated compounds cause cancer. In my family four people suffer from cancer. I speak to thousands of kids each year and in their schools I always ask, how many people have someone in their family suffering from cancer. 15 years ago only a few hands would be raised. Today more than 30 per cent of the class raises its hands. I would urge all of us to do an audit in our own homes. Do you pay for "pest control"? If so you are risking cancer directly. A much better option is to keep kitchens super clean and use neem and other "home remedies". Do you use insect repellents? That's another dangerous thing to do. Equally effective is citronella oil rub, or just a lemon peel rub. Why pour toxic phenyl into the bucket when swabbing is done to clean floors? Or put lethal phenyl tablets in urinals. All these are dangerous. Food. Its not all that difficult to buy food from organic sources. If this is impossible, at least wash, rewash and then re re wash all food before cooking it. We are also attacked when we order paints for our homes that are contaminated with chemicals. Non-toxic paints are not easily available, but if you shop around you can get them. Is this an obit for Happy? No. But it is one of the best ways to honour his memory because I know he would not want any of our families suffering the fate his family has had to suffer. Cancer can strike any one of us. Any time. I suppose the best thing to do is to be happy for every new day. Be grateful for the fact that we have two hands and legs and friends and family. We were really lucky to school in Shimla. Those treks, the cold, the dark walk back from town leave. Chippus puris. And the sparkling clean air. All this contributed to making us who we are. What made Happy who he was. I can't help feeling that somewhere up there Happy probably now has all the answers we do not. All the best, Bittu Bittu Sahgal (97), |