Page 126 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition September-October 2021
P. 126
OBITUARY
CENTENARIAN
HIRU PATEL
LIVED LIFE TO THE FULL
“I want to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life and
who was not afraid to become a student even at the age of 102,” said the
remarkable Hiru Bhai Patel in an interview to The Indian Optician, part of a
special feature on living legends in the optical industry which appeared in the
July-August 2021 issue.
When the sad news of Dr Patel’s sudden passing away came in on 12 August
2021, the interview was still fresh in our minds. It was also a reminder of a
long and full life very well lived, one worthy of celebration – and of emulation.
To quote once again from words that so aptly encapsulate his enthusiasm
even at a grand old age: “I have lived through the candlelit nights of the
early 1900s to the Internet-driven 2020s. I had not seen a telephone till I
was 15 and in my tenth decade of life, I learnt to use an I-phone. I am always
yearning to learn and learning keeps your mind young.”
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