CHINAR SHADE : FOR ALOK AGARWAL : MY UNKNOWN AND UNSEEN INDIAN FRIEND

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

FOR ALOK AGARWAL : MY UNKNOWN AND UNSEEN INDIAN FRIEND

For Alok Agarwal : The First Name on the Stone, Hudson River Front

A face never seen, but a name known by heart : Alok Agarwal.

I go for a walk every morning on the Hudson River front. The city is still waking up, the water is quiet, and there at the top of the black stone is that name, facing the new One World Trade Centre across the river , where the Towers once stood, where he once worked.

I must stop there. Every single morning, I must stop.

Thirty-six. Senior programmer at Cantor Fitzgerald. A brilliant career ahead, a promotion waiting. He had come from Delhi in 1997 carrying dreams, not knowing that four years later an ordinary Tuesday would take it all.

A cruel and barbaric act that took 2977 innocent lives. All of them had harmed no one. Alok simply went to work, like people still do every morning : coffee in one hand, mobile in the other, laptop in the rucksack. He left his Jersey City apartment and never came back.

The Hudson keeps flowing. The river does not know, does not remember. The ferries still cross, the coffee is still hot, the phones still ring. On the promenade, joggers and runners weave skillfully through the crowd. The world does not pause. It cannot pause. It goes on, weaving around memory, as if nothing happened. And yet, everything happened.

In that crowd, one feels as if, he is still there , rushing for the 8:30 ferry, lost in thought, perhaps a little homesick.

When his wife left for India that August, he said, "When you go, I feel lonely in the house." A loneliness of weeks for him became a loneliness of twenty-five years for her. A little son waited in Delhi. November was Diwali , it was to be their family reunion. Alas, November never came.

Now his name is first on the stone. First to be touched by the morning sun. First to be read by anyone who passes. The city, without knowing, kept him closest.

I thank the citizens of Jersey City who raised this memorial so that memory never dies. Because of them, he is not a number. Against a river that forgets and a sky that does not answer, this stone insists , a small, stubborn human revolt that says: he was here, he mattered.

It is not only me, but every passing person who pauses here, moved, eyes moist, tracing names on cold granite. Some leave flowers, some whisper prayers. The salvaged steel feels warm with grief. Strangers become kin, united in quiet reverence before the river that carried survivors homeward that September day.And the mind aches for all the innocents who kissed their families goodbye that morning and never returned home after that day.

Be happy wherever you are, Alok. The world moves on because it must. But love refuses to move on. Those who knew you and loved you will carry you till their last breath. I am certain about this May your friends, well-wishers and family always cherish your sweet memories. May you attain Sadgati and Moksha . Rest in peace, my unknown friend.

"Chhup gaye woh saaz-e-hasti chhed kar,

Ab toh bas awaaz hi awaaz hai..."

(He disappeared after striking the chords of existence,

Now there is nothing but the echo of his sound.)

( Avtar Mota)

The Jersey City 9/11 Memorial stands on the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway at the foot of Grand Street in the Paulus Hook neighborhood near Exchange Place in Jersey City, New Jersey, directly opposite the World Trade Center site across the Hudson River. The location itself is historically significant, having served as a triage site during the 9/11 boatlift that brought survivors to safety and later as a staging area for rescue operations. The memorial comprises three distinct components: a powerful sculpture made from six steel girders salvaged from the original World Trade Center joined together to form the letter A symbolizing America, an inscribed black granite stele bearing names, and a Makeshift Memorial that often holds personal tributes. The site is at sea level, wheelchair accessible, open year-round, and offers panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline. It honours thirty-eight individuals from Jersey City who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Surrounded by urban buildings, ferries, and PATH connections, it provides a solemn, contemplative space for remembrance along a popular walking and cycling route. Dark stone plaque detail and urban backdrop make it a poignant highlight for visitors seeking historical reflection and waterfront serenity. Nearby routes connect it to other landmarks, encouraging quiet strolls at any daylight hour daily.