Jaspal Bhatti - my family member and that of the entire nation

I rarely find time to pen down my thoughts or should I say I prefer to kill time by playing games on my laptop instead of giving shape to my thoughts. The fact is I get mentally drained after beating the keyboard for atleast 5 hours daily to file news, thanks to the police and criminal elements of Ludhiana. I do love to write but never realise my plans in the evenings because of tiredness. I am composing this piece sitting at my desk in my office. I want to write about the sudden demise of Mr Jaspal Bhatti that has left us all in shock. Many eminent writers have written about him and I have read plenty articles about the satirist. Will it matter if I write about him? I asked myself several times and finally I started writing this piece about him. I know it does not matter if I write about him holding the rank of a reporter. But somehow, I want to express my own grief and love towards Sardar of jokes and satire. Well I did get a chance to interact with Sardar Bhatti in 2010 in a hotel. He was in Ludhiana to select the cast for his next venture and he had called a press conference. I was working with a vernacular daily at the time. I reached the venue in time and saw Bhatti was preparing for the press conference. Some arrangements for the press conference were ongoing. Bhatti welcomed us and joked about his staff comparing them with our lazy system. I loved his way with words and to be honest I really wished the press conference would get delayed as I wanted a chance to spend more time with him. I wanted to talk to him about Jaspal Bhatti the man, and not just the news piece I was meant to be reporting on. When I posed some questions, he answered them with his honesty and his trademark comic touch. The press conference set was finally ready and he promised to give me time afterwards.I stared at the face that was entertaining us and making us laugh since my childhood. How simple and down to earth he was. “You seem to me like a cherished family member - I feel like I have seen you since I was a child,”I said to Sardar Bhatti. He replied genuinely that’s why you love me so much. “Yes, we all are one family,” Sardar Bhatti put his hand on my shoulders.Then he asked me about my background. He asked me where did I come from, and how many years was I in this profession etc. He complimented me and said I should try auditioning for TV serials and films. I smiled and said "yes ofcourse Bhatti Saab, I will do". Later, I requested a photo with him. He said sure and smiled towards the camera putting his hand around my waist. Click… clicks the camera sounds and he moved towards other scribes. "Bhatti Saab, I want some more time with you", I said. He smiled and replied, "yes do come at any time I am staying in hotel do come at any time". I got the sad news about his demise at around 6 am this Thursday. I used to sleep till 8.30 generally, but I left my bedside as soon as I heard the news. I was anxious and restless, feeling uncomfortable. I had been praying to God to add some more years to his life, but it seems God 'unheard' my pleas. A rumor that spread in late 2011 (largely due to social media) that the whole world would end in 2012 has stuck my mind. There was something true in the rumor, I thought. Even though the world is not finished but those that keep my world moving have left… Dara Singh, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Jagjit SinghYash Chopra and now Jaspal Bhatti…