Keshav Malik passed away yesterday. Our start-up’s facebook account was flooded with pictures, tributes, obituaries and what not. On the other hand, my personal facebook account barely had a flutter. It is so strange that something that rattles and shakes one part of the world barely scratches the surface of other parts of the world.

Keshav Malik was a man of another generation. He was an assistant of Nehru, met Jinnah and many more eminent people who laid down stuff that we read in our history books. In other words, the man was a rarity himself. He is one of the few poets who can tug your heartstrings without getting into heavy-handed verbose. You might be hating Shakespeare and might associate all prose and poetry with dense words that you might find there but no, not with Keshav Malik. He was someone who believes in simple words.

Simplicity and Humility are second nature to Keshav sir. I was 22 when I first met him. He really need not have taken time out for me. But he did. He mentioned how he had stayed at Kalam’s house during his presidency and how Kalam had gone out of his way to celebrate Keshav sir’s birthday with a cake he had personally ordered. The birthday celebration was quite small, he said. Just him and a few other people with Kalam’s niece getting the lion’s share of the cake. And then, he remarked how humble the then-president was to really go through all that trouble. I, on the other hand, was quite amazed not just at Kalam sir but also Keshav sir who still values human gestures like someone getting him a birthday cake inspite of having seen so much of the world. For many, the world would become a bitter and a sad place. Only a few handful of people are not bitter, whiny, and complaining constantly by the time they are 90. And Keshav sir was far from it. He was positive with joy when he was narrating that story!

Why is Keshav Malik sir relevant today? Keshav Malik was a great proponent of art. And artists. He was very approachable despite his fame and fortune. He still made out time for art exhibitions even in his late-80s, encourages young artists to practice art. He was remarkably unselfish in his motives and his intentions was quite clear. He was there to promote art, and help Indian art in any way he can. He had written many exhibit’s concepts. He encouraged art regardless of style, genre, and subjects. A lot of us find ourselves painfully stuck between personal choice and a professional one. And are forever entwined in the quarrel of what to endorse and what not to endorse!

While many artists will be still finding themselves sailing in the middle of a never-ending ocean, it was always great to have a guiding light to point us in the right direction and help artists practice their art while retaining their integrity.

There are quite a few lessons one can take away from this gem of a person: humility, simplicity, and an effervescent love for life and everything in it.