Rusi Engineer Passed Away

community

Hi friends,

Its sad news to ISABS and our chapter, and many of us who lost a close friend. Rusi had been battling cancer for a while now, and passed away yesterday morning (23rd July 2009). I got the message from Sankar, who heard it from Dilip, then from a mail of Manas that got forwarded to everyone we could think of….

Reproducing the email here:

Dear friend,

Our friend and dear colleague Rusi Engineer is no more on this earth. He has left us this morning ( 23 July 2009 ). His funeral is today at 1 pm in South Mumbai .  Let us take some moments to pause and wish this wonderful person peace and a farewell.

He was a fine and graceful person looking at life with a merry twinkle in his eyes, silently battling cancer which he once overpowered but eventually succumbed to. Deeply spiritual in his outlook, he studied and imbibed many religious teachings. Many of us would remember how tears flowed from his eyes when he heard KK Mehta chant the Nirvanashatakam or when Kumar Gandharv sang Kabir’s “Ud jaayega hans akela, Jag darshan ka mela..” Many also remember the wonderful hours spent listening to the funny bees and piamba duet he would sing with Dilip in the happy hours.

Rusi never hesitated to take a stand or raise his voice when systemic processes appeared askew. I am recalling many situations where he must have felt surrounded and pressured due to this. But he always maintained a respectful cordiality in his assertions and taught many of us the true meaning of collegial togetherness, mutual investment and personal integrity.

In addition to his long association with ISABS (he became a professional member in the year 2000) he touched the lives of many many human beings through his work as a psychotherapist and counselor. I experienced his embodiment of the values which he facilitated for his clients, participants in the way he was open to relationships, flowed with changes and courageous to make decisions which were authentic and rich.

Besides the loss to our community, I also want to share my sense of feel a personal loss with you all. While I knew that the inevitable was lurking round the corner, I coped by believing that no news is good news. I am grieving and mourning this loss and seeking solace in the fact that there is no unfinished agenda between Rusi and I. I pray for his eternal peace.

On behalf of those of us who cannot be there with him in his last journey, we place a wreath for our dear friend and a wonderful human being.

Manas

Indian Society for
Applied Behavioural Science (ISABS)

There is a prayer meeting planned in his memory at his place on Saturday.

Vidyut @ July 24, 2009