For those of you who do not know me, my name is Dilip Mathew, and Naren was one of my dearest friends. Naren’s life was taken away from us too soon and it is hard to understand why. However, I don’t want to dwell on the loss of my dear friend, but let us celebrate his life and remember what a remarkable person Naren was.

Naren and I met in our bachelor days in Bangalore. Along with another friend, we became house mates. It was the time of our lives – all three of us to used to drive off in the morning ur our motor bikes, come back in the evening and party. He was the life of the party and always lit up the room. He was able to put people in a good mood just with his presence and character.

After Bangalore we went in different directions – Naren and his family moved to Malaysia and my family and I went to Australia. Later, work took me to Singapore and I called Naren’s father to get his address in Malaysia – and guess what? He had moved to Singapore! Again we parted – Naren moved to London and I to Zurich. Guess again? I moved to London! It was fate that brought us together again and again and we have remained true friends for the last 30 years.

I was also his business partner when he decided to set up Escribe. Naren was the heart and soul of Escribe. The business had its ups and downs, but he always remained positive. With Naren, you can’t help but be optimistic – he was the epitome of optimism.

It is incredibly sad that Naren’s life ended so soon and I cannot put into words how much I will miss him. It was our ritual for the last 12 years to meet up in a mid-way pub every weekend. We talked about business, politics and anything under the sun. I always looked forward to it, and unfortunately this is not going to happen anymore.

Naren was a sincere and charismatic person, and touched so many people from all ages. He was a positive person and would not want us to be sad today. If he were here he would tell us to cheer up, smile and remember all of the great memories we all shared. Even though Naren may be gone, his memory will live on in all of us forever. Naren, I loved our friendship and will never forget you.