Two days back, after a long time, I spoke to one of my favorite people. He was my Economics teacher. He hardly taught me the subject he was employed to teach me. We’d spend most of the days playing chess and debating politics in his house. He was old even then but was the most vibrant character. Behind his dark glasses, his eyes always sparkled with the vitality of newness, something that I still feel is rare in this world. He has always been a societal and a family pariah since the day he gave up his father’s prestigious government job to join the cause he believed in. But when I first met him, his cause was dead by then, although he refused to see it. He always saw death not as an unmitigable opponent and by that logic the cause could never die. He’s an eternal optimist that way. Behind his mask of logic and ideals, the most humane thing that I observed about him was his absolute, unconditional love for his grandson. He loves him to bits and the little child was a baller, even back then. He became the third chess player in our little group. However, the little kid had a particular speech impediment and unlike his peers, he did not start speaking coherent words at the age he was expected to. This was the only thing that my eternal optimist of a teacher was worried about. He never expressed it but I could see the worry in the curve of his brows. Five years passed since I talked to him. However, the connection was never severed. Two days back he called me, and the sorcery of time hit me. He is no longer the eloquent speaker I used to know. His mental faculties have been weakened by the vagaries of old age. He often got lost in his own thoughts while speaking to me over the phone but thankfully, I know the exact things to bring him back on track. My heart flickered with joy when his grandson took the phone to talk to me. He’s no longer that little kid from five years back. He is the most eloquent speaker and from what he told me a good student and a respected member of the Alekhine chess club. What I realize is that my beloved teacher will die soon but he was right about death not being an unmitigable opponent. He shall live on through his grandson and the memories of the few who hold him dear.