Bikram Vohra
JournalismPakistan.com
January 26, 2017

Just heard from Suresh Pattali that my school, college and newspaper colleague and friend Rex Rozario died last night in Houston.

We first met in 1962. He was by far a better exponent of the English language than I and he and George Kurien would often get higher marks in essays.

We made friends over Billy Bunter and Our Boys Own annuals. Air Ace comics. Just William. Hardy Boys.

I competed with Rex the man through college and tried my best to narrow that gap. In my mind I knew he was a natural. Bertram, if you are reading this remember the three of us vying for first place. And this guy cantering past.

The damn oddest thing was Rex the man never knew how brilliant he was and how intimidating that brilliance. Self effacing, always ready to help, a gentle man if ever, he lived his life doing very little harm to anyone.

I was fortunate to get him to join us at Khaleej Times even though our tenures did not overlap. Correct, above reproach and the hell with the consequences, that was his legacy.

Goodbye old friend and yes, you deserved the A+ even though it kept me up at night whenever you got it.

Go write your essay in the sky.

(The writer is a Senior Editorial Advisor of Khaleej Times and the paper’s former Editor. He has also been the Editor of Gulf News, Gulf Today, Emirates Today and Bahrain Tribune)