People like us who have gone past 70 and are half way through to their 80s have nearly finished their marathons. Not all who began the race many moons away will finish this run as many have already dropped out. Such a long long marathon is not for all so they have dropped out even though their heart said they want to reach the finishing line.

Many others carry on, pushed and pulled by determination, stamina and luck. All of them matter in this race for life as one reaches the finishing line, touches the tape and lie sprawled on the ground exhausted by life itself. It's always an apt metaphor as one sees the ant, the snake and the human all crawl to their own victory and end of the race.

But who is to say, how long the run is anyway and if the race is of the same length for all. To each their own marathon.

My school friends

Most of my friendships began in schools, colleges and Universities and many have continued till date. As time has passed, I am more in touch with my college and University friends while the school friends have slightly faded out of touch due to many reasons. I have sometimes wondered why this happened. It's perhaps because our life begins to shape as we reach our "youth" only and a certain maturity descends.

It's then that the paths are clear and the long walk begins. It's not that we are less close but less in touch. Death has taken some of course but it's very non-discriminatory, not picking and choosing from the bottom or top so the numbers get lesser with every winter from every section. With memories fading too, they become less visible, less remembered, and we all become a bit lesser than we were the winter before.

My college and University friends

There are two groups I am very close to. One belongs to the college or Dhaka College where we all studied. It was our coming of age time as we graduated from high school "children "status to youthhood. We began doing what we have continued to do after so many years. We have followed many professions and our small cluster has succeeded in their chosen fields be it arts, business or academia. And even after all these years we are close, and all the slings, bows and arrows of outrageous good and bad fortune. We have managed to cope with them.

Most of us continued to be friends as we moved to the University though several left for Russia to study there. We kept in touch and once they returned, it was largely back to normal duty again. Many left again but over time, its this group that had spent enough time together and continue to do so even as our life's winter peaks.

The other group comprises friends I met or made after 1971 as we entered the Dhaka University as the first batch after independence. The crowd is not of the same kind but they have remained steadfast friends and the formal cluster of alumni associations, ex-students groups and friends who keep in touch has kept the bond strong. In our winters we are not alone. Though every year there is one more empty chair than the year before.

Scenes and sights

This year people say winter has arrived more robustly and is making life harder for many. For those like us who are in our winter years, life is expected to be harder. To be honest, it has never been easy for many of us be it in our spring or summer era. For others, hard labour and the rest has paid off and are comfortable. Some are retired and resting, some have turned to religion very deeply while a few have migrated abroad to spend the final years in comfort, security and certainty. A handful however remains as busy as they were years ago.

It's this group who seem unbothered by their winter years as they remain busy doing whatever they do. They are of course dominated by those belonging to the business sector where retirement age doesn't apply. They dream up new projects, steer old ones to new destinations and in general remain in life as active as it was in summer or spring. Interestingly several are from academia and at least two friends are even members of the current government.

It's also interesting that two other members are quite senior to us but going on merrily, both from the academic world. And of course, we know that the boss is well past eighty. So, what's up?

Does work define the season?

Everyone has their seasons under the sun but winter is a matter of choice. One may grow physically older, bodily more fragile but for the first time the resolve matters more than the ability to be what nature says. Its very romantic and maybe even absurd to say so but it's the choice to be a warrior all one's life. Warrior's can lay down one final time anytime, no matter what the season is. Some of us are saying let the winter deepen even more before we get down from the steed.