“But that night in her dream she flew high above the earth in a moonless sky. Behind her, like a falling star, sailed a silver sled.”

― Chris Kurtz

Ya. Sad. When all from the old order pass on, only the ones who have watched them and grown with them know the pain of seeing the old world of childhood crumbling…

— Sarika Nanda

Don’t get me wrong. The life ensconced in the love of children, parent, grandparent (notice the singulars here), sisters and brothers (cousins included), aunts, uncles, relatives, and relatives-in-law, and friends-in-law (creating new terms for acquired ones by marriage), and a beautiful group of friends gathered from various junctures of life that are, oh, so much a part of my comfort group. May God keep this inner circle of soul-comfort intact and safe.

This article is about the actors, stars, singers, and movies that become a part of you growing up. People embrace new singers, songs, actors, and so did I. But could I ever feel the gushes for anyone as I do for Kishore Kumar’s songs and his voice, or Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi and Shashi Kapoor – the Kapoor brothers. Could I ever forget Vinod Khanna, who I mourned by listening to a song from the film – Imtihaan – “Roz shaam aati thi…” in a loop for days. The comfort of watching a real-life couple of Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh in love in reel and romanticising. How many remember watching Irrfan Khan on TV in a skit, Laal Ghaas Par Neele Ghode, in an impactful performance even before he was a star? His was a long journey from box to box office.

The above list is of the people who created the comfort walls around you, providing food for your soul. When the threads of times past start coming off at the seams, or the bricks begin to come loose, there is a desperate attempt to hold onto those memories. These are the times that I wish I could stay completely immersed in those memories forever.

This is my tribute to my favourites, the fallen stars. Om Shanti.

||Sarvam Sri Krishna Arpanamastu||