?Missed in the morning of every day, missed in the evening as light fades away.?

My dear Neil, Probably around 13 years from now, I hope that I am still around to guide you through them and talk to you in a more vivid manner about my brother and your father Alain.

Alain got his name from your phoophoo Anoosha. When she was a baby, she would say Alein instead of Shailen and from there, he and all of us adopted the name, giving it the more familiar spelling Alain. Your dad was very fond of it and I still recall that he used to insist that all of us call him Alain.

We grew up together, sharing the same bed for almost 10 years. We played together and he became fond of everything that I liked ? football, races, beer, partying and so on except that I was a fan of Manchester United and he preferred Liverpool. Alain had a special characteristic though. He liked to play differently; to the extent of involving fracas, which would of course irritate your dada. It was quite common to see him getting injured, bruising his head, cutting his hand, plastering his ankle, etc.

Alain was known to be a very laborious boy. He would often help your dadi in the household chores, was very keen on preparing tea for guests and would always sweep the yard, though I would always offer to share the job with him, and that in a very unequal manner. For Divali, we would spend some days cleaning the window panes while taking great pleasure in watering each other. He used to be a good negotiator. He would always take good note of my small misdemeanors and would then blackmail me to achieve his end. Alain was very popular since childhood. He made friends very easily and since his primary education, he liked to bring friends home.

One thing with Alain, he had not even an iota of communalism in him. He would befriend people from all walks of life.

Alain?s charismatic personality developed at a later stage, when he returned from UK. He started his first job in an insurance agency where he affirmed himself as a very aggressive salesman. His next move was in Alexander Forbes and it was there that Alain got his first contact with the reinsurance business. The man of vision that he was pushed him towards partnering with Re Insurance Africa, which later took the name of Willis. Your Dad became the managing director of this company in Mauritius and led it towards market leadership. He was destined to become a business leader until that tragic 21st April 2007 event put a halt to his destiny.

As per Hindu Funeral rituals, we started the recital of Holy Scriptures the day after Alain?s funeral. One Indian Priest, whom I invited, came to recite an ancient epic poem. ?The 1000 names of Lord Vishnu?. Uncle Bhai found the text after some research and presented it to the family. Like the rest of the Mahabharata it is in verse. While going through it, I came across six names, pronounced in a blissful blend of sound that defines the attributes of the Lord of the Universe: Suvratah Sumukhah Suksmah Sughosah Sukhadah Suhrt. It was no coincidence that we started his mourning with the recital of this Great Poem.

Suvratah means determination. Your dad had gone through all types of hurdles throughout his life, be it regarding his studies, his health, and during his career. Alain was always very optimistic and strongly determined to reach what he was aiming at. The most evident example has been the launching and success story of his business. Because of his strong determination, what he achieved over four ? five years will easily take others a lifetime to achieve!

Sumukhah means proper motivation. Alain required nobody to push him from behind. He was, in many ways, a self-made person, always energetic, self-motivated, full of enthusiasm and ideas and very eager to excel in whatever he was doing. He drove his company with strong leadership and had big dreams regarding his personal, family and business affairs.

Suksmah is the careful consideration of various implications and subtleties involved. Neil, your Dad was a ?fin Diplomate?, one who could walk on eggs to make things work smoothly. He liked to discuss with people, explore different avenues before deciding for himself, yet never would any subtlety be overlooked. The proof being that your dad had only friends and no enemy.

<I>He never held any grudge against anybody and was always ready to help his worst enemy. Most people, when they reach certain heights materially, have problems to see below their waists. Your dad was made of a different mettle. </I>

Sughosah means communicative skill. This was Alain at his best, in whatever form of communication; visual, verbal, body. His charismatic personality would never go unnoticed in social gatherings; he would meet every person, crack jokes, speak serious matters and discuss all type of things. He believed a lot in open minded discussions and always put personal petty matters aside.

Sukhadah: What is contemplated ultimately leads to general welfare and happiness. Alain was known to be a merry person, not just for himself but for all his surroundings. Firstly as a son, he has been a model. He would go out of his way to please our mum and dad. Their happiness was his concern and wherever he was around the world, he would always remain in touch with them. He made them so proud of what he was and what he was to become. Alain, rich or poor, money had always been the last of his worry. He was a family man, firm believer of family values which we inherited from our parents. He would always ?check sa? with my mother, how is Yogen, how is Anoosha and would ask my mum about so many things relating to the family?s happiness. I still recall my mother, during the funeral, crying ?Mo papa! Mo papa pe aller!? These words are full of meaning indeed! Even, after his departure, Alain continued to guide us. He came in your Dada?s dream to explain the organization of his funeral. His continued guidance is very much felt today by all of us. Neil, your dad was offered ?funerailles royale? that only Great Men obtain.

Suhrt ? Good at heart! Alain had a golden heart! Who would dare to deny it? He never held any grudge against anybody and was always ready to help his worst enemy. Most people, when they reach certain heights materially, have problems to see below their waists. Your dad was made of a different mettle. He inherited a lot from your dada in that respect, always ready to help people no matter their status in life. In fact, he never forgot his roots and welcomed everybody as much as he would be accessible to everybody.

Once during a social function, I was sharing with some people a story about somebody I knew, a bright girl, who had passed her SC with 6 units, but who could not afford tuition for her HSC.

Alain telephoned me on the next day and told me that he would sponsor the tuition. The list is too long as there have been many such examples. Some time back, he discussed with me about market salaries as he was thinking about offering some nice reviews to his staff.

My Dear Neil, the Mahabharata states that ?The Elder Brother should be at times blind to the acts of his younger brother, and if the latter is guilty of any transgression, the elder brother should correct them by indirect ways and means?. I thank God and my parents to have offered me such a brother. I feel very proud of my role as Elder Brother, I feel as if, at the outset, I was inspired by Lord Bhisma?s statement. I trusted Alain always, believed in him all way through and mentored him in a very subtle manner. His success was my concern all the time, I know how he paved his way towards it and I am too happy that I supported him always, in his good and bad times. I was the first one to talk insurance to him, influencing him to embark on insurance studies when he was going to UK and today I can only be proud of the success that he made out of it. I was the last one he conversed with, from Mauritius, and he shared so many good news to me on that day. Two days afterwards, the terrible news broke, and this time I was the first one in Mauritius, to know about it. Alain gave me courage to break the news in the family, support the parents, organize the funeral and offer the gift of fire to his funeral pyre.

B.Gita explains ?It is an absolute certainty that the one who is born must die, and birth for the dead is also an absolute certainty. Therefore, one should not grieve over what is unavoidable or inevitable.?

We shall all treasure his memories and we know that he will always be with us until we meet again!

Neil, my son, you are just a few glimpses of the Great Man that your Dad was. My wholehearted wish is that you draw inspiration from him to become as Great, if not greater, a man.

Your Uncle Yogen SOOBARAH