Remembering Zac ....

A dear friend known to most of us as Zac (Razak Ali) had passed-on, fifteen years ago today.

An old boy of VI, he was a good natured guy who got along well with almost all he was known to - in fact, I know of none that he didn't get along with!
Although academically brilliant he did not get an opportunity to do Medicine locally. If I'm not mistaken, he was a straight A student (at least close to that, if I'm wrong).
It was I'm certain, Dato's dream to see his dear brother a Doctor - and as such sent him overseas to do Medicine.

When I first got to know him in my pre-Uni days, he was quite reserved - I wouldn't know why, but it seemed like it was because he never really was "exposed" much. By my standards (I mean compared to the "hantu" that I was, he was definitely an angel), he was "innocence" personified.
We (a group of us who joined his class) all saw him as easy going and friendly from day one - and we all clicked so well from day one.
He was such a fun guy, loveable, generous and honest to a fault. He could rarely tell a lie with a straight face - so much so, it was joke each time he got caught lying!
Moving on to Med-school, I became his housemate - but "politics of youth" got the better of us and we kind-of drifted in different directions, although there was no real fallout.
Of course we did trade blows at one time when we had a small tiff over some inconsequential stuff, which we promptly forgot and started partying together once again.

Books though, were a major factor in driving us onto different paths - we both "F-ed" -up bigtime, and had to do overtime work to get back in line to catch up .....
[Forget others - I surprised myself into becoming a "bookworm" of sorts and started putting in 10-14 hrs of "graphing" (besides college- jokes aside!!) on my butt to do the catching up with studies. The word was that I had "buang tabiat", and was headed for a "meltdown" soon (thank God nothing like that happened)].
As a result, we sort of lost touch with each other & many around us, and had a new circles of friends. Even then, Zac, Obi Anamah, JP, Diji, Munir, Biren, KichiBai, ST, Martin, Baljit and others were still my closest buddies and we definitely still got together occasionally. Oh yes - even with all the "graphing", we did party when we needed do "unwind" occasionally.
We were known then as "The Pet Shop Boys" - I'm sure that name would would draw a nostalgic smile from many of "the boys".....

15yrs ago today, I got a knock on my door in the middle of the night (2 a.m. I guess) - Diji showed up to draw me away from books.
Zac was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was called by "a friend" to "negotiate" - when he was comfortably at home (studying, I guess).
He had unwittingly walked into a dispute, about which he was totally clueless.
Things went horribly wrong - and Zac ended up the victim of circumstances.
Zac was cruelly snatched away from us at the spring of his life!

Needless to say, everybody was shocked - never in the history of the Uni, had something like this happened.
The whole college was in mourning, a meeting of seniors was held and the Dean declared a day of "holiday" for all to pay their last respects.
Court cases are court cases - and nothing much came of it.

Last I heard (from Biren, I think) the culprit met the same fate some time back.
For quite some time (definitely more than a year), while having our get-togethers, suddenly a sense of gloom would descend upon us, when Zac would become the topic of conversation and we would reminisce the bittersweet days when he was with us ....

Zac, we still remember & miss you.
May God Bless your soul - Rest in peace, Friend, Brother.

Hymn to the Spirit of Nature

P. B. Shelley

LIFE of Life! thy lips enkindle
With their love the breath between them;
And thy smiles before they dwindle
Make the cold air fire: then screen them
In those locks, where whoso gazes
Faints, entangled in their mazes.

Child of Light! thy limbs are burning
Through the veil which seems to hide them,
As the radiant lines of morning
Through thin clouds, ere they divide them;
And this atmosphere divinest
Shrouds thee wheresoe'er thou shinest.

Fair are others: none beholds thee;
But thy voice sounds low and tender
Like the fairest, for it folds thee
From the sight, that liquid splendour;
And all feel, yet see thee never,
As I feel now, lost for ever!

Lamp of Earth! where'er thou movest
Its dim shapes are clad with brightness,
And the souls of whom thou lovest
Walk upon the winds with lightness
Till they fail, as I am failing,
Dizzy, lost, yet unbewailing!