This, too, will pass

 

This, too, will pass

“This, too, will pass.” As PRK Rao said this, a different smile appeared on his always-smiling face. It was an existentialist’s laugh. That contagious laughter spread to all those who had gathered around him in front of the Seminar Complex at Calicut University a few years ago, just after a five-day seminar. Today, on January 6th, he walked with fate. This time, too, passed.

The inaugural speech of the five-day seminar was delivered by PRK Rao—a detailed silhouette of ideas, like a sculpture built with knowledge and affect. All were moved. Seeing the emotion reflected in the audience’s mental mirrors, he seemed to falter a bit. A standing ovation followed.

PRK had visited Kozhikode several times, invited by a group of friends led by Brahmaputran. When “Kozhikode was temporarily shifted to Kottayam,” he came to Kottayam as well. Just imagine: he gave a speech at Kottayam Town Hall on science in English—at a time when public speeches on the philosophy of science were hardly popular here. PT Thomas did the live translation. Even now, the thrill PT felt while translating PRK’s speech has not evaporated.

Thinkers like Nietzsche and Wittgenstein, along with many novels, were quoted while examining science in the laboratory of thought. From morning to evening, every day, a seven-day seminar unfolded—a solo show. Observations such as “science is rational only in retrospection; the present and the ongoing journey of science is creative and not rational…” came from a tirelessly thinking PRK. It was fascinating to watch him smoke during the intervals, as if thoughts were flying around in the rings of smoke he puffed out.

Every day, after the seminar, he did not disappear but remained, spending time with friends. One evening, a newly met thinker invited him to a private debate. He accepted the invitation. When asked about it, he said, “It was a dim-lit drama consisting of one actor and one spectator,” and he giggled. Each time he arrived, he connected the visit to the last one—that was his character—and added density to the friendship.

During the time of COVID, he once joined a webinar as a listener. He spread his thoughts through emails and radiated friendship through WhatsApp. Usually, he would reply, even if sometimes a bit delayed. I sent him a personal Merry Christmas video on December 24th. I saw the blue ticks. There was no reply.

Mukundanunni