Can someone with no muscles be the strongest in the known universe?

Chuchu [1957-2022]

Yes.

TL;DR: An Eulogy (sort of)

Let me tell you all a story about a lesser-known human: Soundararajan a.k.a Suresh a.k.a Chuchu. Chuchu was born in a middle-class brahmin family to Narayanan and Rukmini. He has a sister: Nalini. That sister's son is me. But, this isn't about me. It is about my mama: Chuchu.

Up until the ripe age of 19 or so, he was very active, physically. Jumping terraces in pursuit of kites, getting off running buses, hanging behind on the ladder in a running bus. He was rowdy! Name the rowdiest thing a 60s kid would do - he had done it. He had crushes too!

Around his late teens, he lost his mother to cancer. The troubles were just beginning - he started to feel weak. He felt pain. His shoulders started to droop. He was losing something: his muscles. This was not new to him, as he had seen his uncles (mother's brothers) undergo that phase, but what he couldn't understand: why so early? At that time, not many had any idea of what this disease was, nor did the great-grandfather know that this was hereditary.

After several visits to doctors, specialists and god-men, Chuchu gave into fate - about the disease called Muscular Dystrophy - Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) in particular. He was not deterred. He did not resign. He up’ed his willpower!

Muscular Dystrophy is of many types, but with one thing in common - degeneration of muscles. Chuchu lost muscles, slowly. So, what he did do? He controlled his favourite: Food. He ate quantity that a 6-year-old will eat. He was determined to be mobile and not depend on anyone else. He made a decision not to put another life at risk - thus decided not to marry or procreate. Radical!

He was heading to his late 20s, still losing muscles. He moved to Bombay for few years - to earn a living. He was still mobile and made every use of his ability. Majoring in History, he went into accounting. Learnt as much as he can, and came back to Madras to get his sister married and settled with his father. Taking all his dad's scoldings as an obedient son, he travelled to work, cooked and helped around at home.

My memories with him start around this time when he used to take me to my thatha every weekend in an auto-rickshaw, buy me stuff that my eyes set upon. His fond memories of me: I rolling on the road when he took me out - only to be scolded and shooed away by the roadside vendor pitying my mama's plight.

He worked and moved until COVID hit him in August of 2020.

Now, he has lost all his muscles and became stardust. He can now roam ever more freely. (BTW, he beat COVID, but the remnants of that sucker took the juice out of him.) His last rites are being performed (and would go until evening) as I type.

Though I had a love-hate relationship with him, I loved to take him around and show places - which he cannot visit by himself. I took him to Thirupathi, Melkote, Bangalore, Bellary, Hampi, Dayton, Columbus, New Jersey, NYC, Atlanta, Disney World in Florida, Niagara Falls, San Francisco, Sacramento and finally Toronto. Cha! I wish I could take him around more along with Skanda... I couldn't have done it alone - not without Chuchu's willpower! He was game for anything I can do. We had so much fun. He was ever grateful to anyone who had done the slightest of help to him - he would praise them forever! I am sure he still thanking you all as he's floating around.

I wish I am as strong as him. The strongest man in the known universe.

I am awake, and I wanted to relive all the memories - and I have written a few.

Comments

Post - 50!

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