Today evening I found out that Sanstav Paul, my senior is assumed dead after his plane crashed. He's in a pilot school. His body has still supposedly not been found, but the search has been going on for over 21 hours now.
I can't really explain how shocked I was when I got that phone call from Ashwin today. This hollow numbness, like every little bit of emotion was being sucked out of you, leaving just an empty shell. Comprehension was difficult. At first I was told that he was dead. Just plain vanilla dead. A guy who even this year I had played cricket with, laughed with, argued with, and most importantly spent time with was gone. Just like that. And later I was told that there is still this inkling, of a chance that he might be alive, considering that he still hasn't been found.
And all that did was give me a spark of hope. One that I never wish to see extinguished. Its bubbling amongst all of us. Its holding us together. And we all can only pray and hope. He was honestly a really good friend of mine, and my direct senior in Cricket.
If there's a God out there, you know what to do.
Cheers.
6 comments:
I will googled Sanstav Paul and I found this blog.So I guess the news is true and very sad too.I didn't know Sanstav much but he was my junior for a year or so.I don't have much to say because we had not talked to each other for over 3-4 years.But still it is very depressing to hear this,the part about his body not being found...that's hard man.
My sincere apologies to his family and to you as well...but nothing I say or do,can change what has happened.
i knew sanstav for 2 years.i met him in port blair.we played baddy together.he was a gud frend of mine.it was very hard 2 take in the news.i verified from every possible source 2 check if da news was true,it was so sad n horrifyin 2 noe dat a person whom u knew well had left us forever.
i give my condolences 2 sastavs family n wish dat his soul may rest in peace
i am very sad on sudden and untimelly demise of a young boy who was dreaming to fly high....
It is very hard for some like me who has seen Sanstav since the day he was born to comment on his passing away. He was my friend, although I am closer in age to his Dad. I really do miss him.
In fact he was not missing for any amount of time. He was on his second solo flight and coming back to his base. His plane suffered engine and control and went into a spin. Two local fishermen in the lake nearby saw it all and alerted the emergency services. A chopper was on the scene within ten minutes and he was taken to the nearest hospital. But nothing could be done. He had already left to the bigger flying school by then.
A preliminary accident report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20081221X52007&key=1
On behalf of his parents I thank all his friends for remembering Sanstav the way he was.
God bless.
Sorry that line in the second para should have read:-
His plane suffered engine and control failure and went into a spin.
Dear sandhya, am shell shocked at the news, do accept my condolences, I feel helpless do not know what or how to express my grief.
usha malayappan
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