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A Remarkable Man

On Friday the 4th of January, I attended the celebratory funeral service of a truly "remarkable" man. An academic scholar who spoke 5 languages and who was awarded many accolades for his services both in the UK and abroad. At 81, he swam and windsurfed and indeed had the greatest enthusiasm and passion for life of anyone I have ever met (except for his wife).

All of these things mentioned would be fantastic things to be remembered by. However, I will remember him for his:

  • Compassion
  • Humility
  • Love for his family
  • Interest in everyone's life
  • Love of art and opera
  • Acceptance of all beings
  • Ability to encourage his children and grandchildren to be who they wanted to be
  • Large gin and tonics and his passion for cooking

We visited him in hospital a week before he died. Despite being very unwell, he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren and when one of them asked "what does namaste mean?", he knew the answer but was too unwell to articulate it. A gentleman and a scholar. I don't know if I will ever meet anyone quite like him again but feel honoured to have known such a wonderful man.

A quote from him in his younger days as a hitch-hiker, which seems to express his philosophy in life:

"When I hitch-hike, I put myself in the hands of chance. I go wherever the next car takes me, which is often quite a long way. It is fatal to plan your whole journey in advance, because at some point you are bound to be disappointed: whereas if you make no plans at all you are often pleasantly surprised."

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Location: Upper Richmond Rd, London SW15 6TQ, UK

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