I first met Lincoln Das about a year ago on ICQ and immediately took a liking to him. He had a sense of humour and a gentleness about him that was obvious in his many messages.

He told me he suffered from heart problems and had already had several bypasses and that his first heart operation took place when he was a child.

Lincoln made me recognise the obvious... that the world is a small one and growing smaller with the Internet. He was a classmate of my colleague and additionally he was also married to a niece of a very old family friend.

I liked him immensely. He was a man who was always cheerful inspite of several health and other problems. I can still remember him telling me on the phone how he loved to eat mutton which often resulted in a good scolding from me. (Mutton is a no-no for heart patients.)

His voice and laughter continue to linger in my ear, even now, as if I am listening to a taped conversation. We spoke on the phone several times but for a long time Lincoln and I had not spoken thus and he was absent from ICQ.

I felt he would pop up sometime and call me again. Now he never will. Yesterday, on January 1st, 2001 as we in Malaysia celebrated New Year,
Lincoln died.

I will never hear his voice or his gentle laughter again. The school kids, whom he taught and referred to as "his children" will never see their teacher again.

To all of us who knew him and loved him, Lincoln was incomparable and though time may pass, he will remain thus, incomparable.

Lincoln, you have joined the stars. We love you and for us your light never dims.