Derek O’Brien writes: On rediscovering an old love and learning to enjoy the journey

This 1 is each heart. No stats. No heavy dive data. No BC (Before ChampionPM) connected the authorities of the system erstwhile compared with AD (After Demigod). No governmental astute one-liners. Leave each that aside.

This week’s file is astir Dr Sandip Chatterjee (63) and Ratul Sood (58), 2 radical from Kolkata I knew. This week’s file is astir Rohit Bal (63) and Bibek Debroy (69), 2 radical from Delhi who I had ne'er met, but had lone work about. All 4 are gone. This is not a quadripartite obituary. Nor a dirge to 4 accomplished gentlemen who dwelt successful an municipality jungle, aka an Indian city. Their caller deaths — each of them were astir the aforesaid property arsenic maine — person made maine deliberation a small much astir life. And living. As John Lennon enactment it: “Life is what happens to you, portion you’re engaged making different plans!”

Growing up, shot was by acold my favourite outdoor athletics that I played. You volition ne'er conjecture what my favourite indoor “sport” was. Contract bridge! My dada encouraged my 2 younger brothers (Andy and Barry) and maine to larn span successful our aboriginal teens. There was a signifier successful my 20s and 30s erstwhile I was playing span 3 times a week. I ne'er played beyond the section nine level, but loved the sport. Alas. Between shooting multi-cam quiz shows successful Mumbai tv studios and the past 2 decades successful politics, the fascinating paper crippled had go a memory.

Last week that changed.

After much than 25 years, my aged span mates organised a three-hour league astatine the DI, a nine successful Kolkata we telephone our 2nd home. There was Joe (94), Elias (84), Nikki (79) and a 63-year-old. Post the game, they assured maine that I hadn’t mislaid my touch. What an afternoon. With boyish enthusiasm, I shared a photograph of the league with my 2 siblings. Here, verbatim, is what 1 of them replied connected WhatsApp.

“This day was immense for 3 reasons.

(i) That you made the clip to excavation heavy — and DO what you truly wanted to do, adjacent if it’s erstwhile successful a while!

(ii) These gentlemen are inactive acceptable and mentally alert astatine 94, 84, and 79 — and DOING what they privation to do!

(iii) You are inactive bully astatine it — means that your caput tin “unclutter” itself erstwhile you request to.”

What other bash I person to stock connected this taxable astir surviving beingness to the full? Surely we request to enactment successful a mates of much paragraphs. Or possibly punch successful an anecdote oregon two. After all, the knowing with this paper is that the file I constitute should beryllium “about 800 words.” The connection number present says 550 words.

So what now? Write different 200 words to scope the target, the goal, the destination. Or conscionable bask the journey.

I’ll take the latter. Thanks

The writer is MP and leader, All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party (Rajya Sabha). Research credit: (the writer’s parents) the (late) Joyce and Neil O’Brien