Arun Kaul is no more

It's silly to spend a day at office crying. But that's how time has lapsed.
Booked a flight to Delhi amidst moist eyes.
But just then Neelaabh called, "We will cremate him in the afternoon. Tu mat aa."
Too late.
& It's too early for him to leave.
He still had to see Neelaabh's award winning work & Bilash's films.
Arun Kaul gave me two dear friends for life; Neelaabh Kaul the cinematographer, & Indraneel (Bilash) Kaul, the scriptwriter-filmmaker. He also gave me one of the first few 'breaks' when I started working as a director fresh out of the FTII, over 2 decades ago.
He did much more for Kashmir (& not just through his serial Kashmir Diaries) than other page 3 Kashmiris. People have great regard & admiration for this die hard old school warrior of the Indian film industry. They always will.
He would make it a point to meet everyone when he came to mumbai after he shifted base to New Delhi. On such occasions, I would touch his feet out of respect, & the next moment, he would light a cigarette, share a drink, & chat about everything under this earth with the passion of someone young at heart. He would share his dream of writing more scripts, making more films, of tackling newer subjects!
Up untill a few months ago!!!
Bilash has sordid tales of those months about hospitals & doctors of Delhi who misled him with false diagnosis & awry medicines!!!
The 2 boys have lost their father, & I have lost a great friend!
These two boys who will be men now will carry forth the father's legacy; try & fulfill the dreams he had & the dreams they do on the canvas of cinema!
"Kaul, 74, is survived by his wife and two sons. He breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences this morning after being hospitalised for nearly a month.

Kaul, who was running "Vyeth" (Kashmir name of river Jehlum) Television, shot into fame when his film "Diksha" won the best film award for the year 1992.

He has been a screenplay assistant of veteran film maker Gulzar for the films 'Lekin' and 'Ijaazat' besides having written the screenplay for the film star-studed "Chandni" of Yash Chopra.

He has also produced a film named "Ek Adhuri Kahani" directed by Mrinal Sen.

His television documentary "Dharma Kshetra" won the NFDC Award in 1986.

In mid 1990s, his production house, Vyeth Television, started "Kashmir File" on Doordarshan in which the excesses committed by militants were highlighted.

The programme was closed after its anchor reporter, Saiuddin Shafi, was gunned down by militants in broad daylight for raising voice against the terrorists." Newspaper Report