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Introduction. Shahid came to befriend with the writer Amitav during his last days of life. Shahid was basically an Indian like the author. As the very name suggests, he was a Muslim He belonged to Kashmir. He sought his education in Delhi. While in India they shared common friends and nothing more. But as Shahid shifted to Brooklyn in 2000, he came to entrust a very important task to the writer.
An Endless Revealer. Shahid had great love for fun and festivity. The smell of food would make him cry ‘Kya Badia Khana Hat.’ He was fond of exactitude in the cooking of food. He himself would host parties almost daily. He would do long preparations and cooking to host such parties. He always liked to hold ‘addas’ and surrounded with friends and relatives. ‘Food, fun, friends and poetry all were his weaknesses.
Aware of Impending Death. Shahid suffered from brain tumour. The fact came to be established a year or so before his death. Before that also he had been under treatment for cancer. He had sensed his death. But he didn’t want to cry to death. He wanted to sip up the last drop of joy of life with great relish and enjoyment. He described about his approaching death in many of his works. But he was quite cool and at ease and peace with death, as he had consoled himself that he was going to reunite his departed mother in the “other life” after the earthly life.
His friendship with Amitav : After shifting to Brooklyn, Shahid started meeting and eating with Amitav almost everyday. He entrusted him to write about him after he was gone. He didn’t want that he should he remembered just through the words of memory but he wanted to be remembered through some writing about him. This Amitav did successfully later on keeping his friendly pledge.
A Peaceful End. Shahid, it seems was tom due to the stormy and voilent political atmosphere in Kashmir. During his last days, he would talk about Kashmir a lot. He actually wanted to die there, to lie peacefully beside his mother’s grave. But due to logistic reasons he had to change his idea. Still there is Northampton, in the vicinity of Amherst, the sacred place of his beloved Emily Dickinson, he felt he would rest peacefully. So on Dec. 8 at 2 a.m. he died a quite, serene and peaceful death while in deep sleep.Conclusion. To conclude with we can say, that apart from being a great poet, Shahid was an incarnation of joy, optimism, love and wisdom.