Celebrating George Hedges

Today morning I woke up and wore all black. Black is something you never wear to the temple. Its inauspicious. Tight t-shirts are also not something you wore to the Indian temples. But I was celebrating my mentor and great friend George Hedges. I was celebrating Kali - the goddess of death and destruction. I was celebrating my deep ties to Los Angeles where some of my best memories reside. I was celebrating the cool and beautiful black. In all its power. So like a blank panther I slipped out of my house this morning dressed in a too-tight black T-shirt and tight black jeans. I looked like I was going clubbing. Yes, I was going to celebrate George Hedges and all that he had achieved up to the age of 57.

George died on full moon night - a few days ago. A night where celestial beings are out and about. For Indians it was pournami - an auspicious night. In Singapore 10 March 2009 was a beautiful moonlit night. George died after bravely battling melanoma for 7 months. During that 7 months I spoke to him a couple of times on the phone. He always always ended the call by thanking me. Thanking me for calling him. I was brave. It was difficult sometimes for me to talk with a smile in my voice when tears were streaming down my cheeks. But obviously George was braver. Yeah, he was bigger, faster, smarter and more insightful than any man I had come across. The LA Times paid a tribute to him calling him a celebrity lawyer and the man who discovered the lost city of Uber. He was truly a Renaissance Man.

To me he was my friend, mentor and former law firm boss. Someone who had taken a real interest in me. Someone who had taken me out for quick lunch to counsel me while he was in the middle of a high profile trial - defending LA's top agent, Ed Limato. I remember he sharing his research briefly with me - how he had managed to hunt down an obscure piece of California legislation that had a 7 year time cap on contracts with unique talents. This he explained with great enthusiasm might be all that he needed to win his case. He talked about the joy of defending artists and talents in a ruthless entertainment industry. It was wonderful to see his passion and love for the law. In his hands law was a benign tool for good.

Today when I went to the temple Durga looked super special. Like she knew I was coming to pay my tribute to George. Decked from head to toe in fresh jasmine flowers I had never seen her so resplendent. My jaw dropped. I had always been inspired by her beauty and strength. Today in her white floral attire she was quiet peace and divine beauty. Like a bride in white. Durga's priest as usual was very happy to see me. He welcomed me warmly. I did not tell him about George. I just silently lit two lamps for George and placed one lamp before Durga and one lamp before Kali. When I finished praying I told the priest how beautiful the Goddess Durga looked today. The priest looked at me matter-of-fact and said "Just like you." I was taken aback by such a personal comment. But I had just prayed that George's beauty and light continue to live in my heart and shine in my deeds. Durga & Kali seemed to have heard my prayers. Loud and clear.