This is a tribute to a Renaissance Man, who glorified eccentricity, who at the flick of his mind defined creativity, who set standards high with his spirit, and who has given deeper insight into life (that is my personal revelation) even at his departure from this earthly world. … 

I write this as a memoir. 

Therefore, my fellow friends, what I write here is perhaps only the very least how Rafi Ahmed has touched my soul. I think he was a free spirit. Nothing "regular" ever touched him. He managed to keep himself away with a cushion distinctive enough that made him special. 

Beside myself, Delta Rahman is one other gentleman who went to school with Rafi since kindergarten. I can't recall any of my memories of Rafi from kindergarten though. The earliest memories that I can sum up are something from the second standard. I believe Mufti, Azfar and Nawsher were also members of that class in Dhanmondi, where we all went to school at Maple Leaf. Rafi used to sit a row behind me toward the end of the classroom (yes, we were at liberty to pick our own seats). And of course we were the little naughty ones at the back of the room. Asif, Utsha, Shagor..., same little naughty stuff we did at 8 Commets, or 10 giants. Ofcourse for 2nd graders the intensity was scaled down a lot! 

Rafi had the early signs of a reader. I think (if my memory serves me right), he was mostly into P.G Woodhouse stuff. I think that was pretty difficult reading for a second grader. The reason I recall this is somewhat I ws thinking of what Shagor once told me of an instance in Amherst where Rafi went around the entire five colleges area several times in the same bus, missing to get out of it because he was thoroughly into reading something at the back of the bus. (Shagor, you can elaborate on that one).He used to carry this British Airways bag that mostly had books other than school work...quite rebellious for a 2nd grader...I think so. He was very good at missing homework, brilliant at drawing pictures of warships. (He was into Second World War). 

Missing homework (and deadlines in general) was probably one of his favorite activities. I can remember plenty incidents where he stranded many of us in the middle of nowhere for being simply unable to let go this favorite act of his. Refresh my memory right, Asif. In class 5 Wasps, three of us (Rafi, and Asif were the other two), or was there someone else, I can't recall, we decided to do a science fair project together. Be Reminded that none of us had the knack as Tahsin always did of coming up with brilliant inventions (or great copy/paste ones that some others were good at). Tahsin, by the way, I still remember your Water Filter with Sunrise project, the heart failure prediction one as well. For the lack of a better idea we picked something like making vanishing color(I cant remember the solution, but it was something to do with ammonia because I distinctly remember the stench) and make some stupid fountain (did not seem stupid at that time). Although Asif and myself screwed up some of it the major disaster was made by good ole Rafi. At the end, we did not have anything but the some chemical to play around with. I think we took the opportunity to fire the solution on our friends to scare them of and perhaps also on some of the younger female guests at the fair to testify to the early signs of puberty. Speaking of science fairs, he stranded me once in 4 Tigers as well. That was Rafi and myself only. We wanted to make this water powered saw-mill model. Rafie, as he promised, was supposed to make the prototype. He assured me that he will have everything ready by the carpenter guy who worked in his dad's office. I was supposed to make the drawings and the presentations. Fair enough. The day before the science fair we were to rendezvous at his Lalmatia house and finish up the details. He confirmed that the night before. In the morning, I went to his house (my mom promised to drop me off). So as I arrive, the famous GONI bhai greets me at his house and tells me that Shujon bhaiya has gone to Barisal. Fabulous! Little deserter! I was pissed off, upset, a broken heart child. But when Rafi came back from Barisal I could never be upset with him. It was that innocent little smile (the same one he has in the picture that is on the webpage we have) he had. It was always fair. I don't think anyone can stay mad at Rafi for too long. 

The name Goni bhai also brings back a lot of memories. But guys, would you let me live in the past for a while. It is almost midnight and it should be Rafi's birthday soon. Instead of writing an epic tonight can I take the liberty of putting one mail every week throughout the month of baishakh to celebrate Rafi's birthday? I always wanted to discover a philosopher...let me learn.

- Zunaid