death spares no one

DEATH SPARES NO ONE Man is completely at the mercy of God. However, at the very zenith of his progress, death stops him short, as if negating the very efforts that carried him toward success. after acquitting himself well in his studies, Mr J.a. deo, an i.a.s. officer who was formerly secretary to the Government of india in the Ministry of defence, entered the indian administrative service, the most prestigious of the country’s service. Born in shimla in 1923, he would have expected to retire in 1981 when he was at the peak of his career. however, barely a year after his promotion as secretary of defence, he expired on april 10, 1980, at the age of 57. he was cremated at nigam Bodh Ghat, with the three Chiefs of staff of the indian armed Forces attending to pay him homage. how ironic that the senior-most officers of india’s land, sea, and air forces, invested as they are with full powers to inflict a crushing defeat upon any enemy who dares assail this country of crores of population, were helpless when it came to saving Mr deo from the jaws of death. another even more prominent figure snatched away by death while he was still in his prime was sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of the former prime minister, Mrs indira Gandhi. in the 1980 elections of the parliament and state assemblies, her party had an extraordinary success, and it was widely accepted that sanjay Gandhi would eventually succeed his mother as Prime Minister. however, on the