Tribute by Gautam Khanna
Good afternoon. I’m Gautam Khanna. Jason and I were housemates our junior and senior years at Georgetown, and I am proud and honored to say that Jason is one of my best friends.
You may notice that I did not say that Jason “was” one of my best friends. I intentionally said that Jason “is” one of my best friends. Because he is, and always will be. I will not speak of Jason in the past tense today, or five years from now, or a hundred years from now for that matter. I firmly believe that Jason is around all of us right now, watching over us from a vantage point far more enlightened than our own. I can’t explain why I believe this, but I can feel it, and his presence comforts me.
Today, I will not speak of tragedy. I want to have answers to why this happened. But I don’t know why it happened. Therefore, I will not speak of the tragedy today. On this subject, I concede, I’m speechless.
I will, however, talk about my dear friend Jason, and the traits he has that I, and many of his friends, admire so much.
1) Zest for life and curiosity are hallmarks of my friend Jason. Always laughing, smiling or even dancing a ridiculous jig we call a little “Spanish salsa”, Jason embraces life with a lighthearted touch. Through the years I have had the honor to know Jason, he has always been a source of inspiration, he is always the first one to point out that life isn’t just about academic or professional accomplishments. He stops and smells the roses. In college, he was the glue that kept all of his friends close, he would rally the troops to hang out on a random Wednesday night. ”Why not, Khanna? It’ll be fun.” he would say. And it is always fun with Jason around. He is a master of laughter, and the occasional, and always entertaining forensic investigations of his housemates’ rooms. He would seal off one of his housemates rooms, declare it a crime scene, and search for evidence of unusual personal habits. It was truly odd, but funny. Always laughing, smiling, and inspiring. ..That’s my friend Jason.
His curiosity is truly uplifting, it makes all of his friends, better people. I remember when Jason, Jay and myself went to a Boy George concert our sophomore year in college. A Boy George concert was unthinkable to me. But with Jason’s encouragement, we went and had a great time. And, of course, we learned about a culture that we had never seen before. And it’s that curiosity; to seek out new adventures; that’s my friend Jason.
2) Loyalty is a trait that Jason wears proudly. The evidence of his loyalty is all of us here today, gathered around to honor our friend. On numerous occasions, I have spoken to Jason about things that bothered me, worried me, or made me insecure.
For example, I remember a tough time for me near the end of senior year of college, when I had just been through a trying relationship. I also had the specter of moving to NY to start a job in investment banking, a field that l knew nothing about. I was nervous. Through these times, Jason comforted me, told me l could do it. And that he believed in me. And that’s just it...I know that I can count on Jason to be there when l am in a bind. When the chips are down, Jason is steady. That’s loyalty. That’s my friend Jason.
Who would have imagined that we’d be here today. Late in the evening on September 10th I had just gotten through with a phone conversation with Jason; he was thinking about coming to Boston at the end of September to hang out with me for a weekend.
Again, I can’t explain all of this. I don’t try to understand it.
But l know he is around us. And for what it is worth, I hope we carry his legacy with us in our lives. I hope that we value family, fiends, loyalty. I hope that we approach life with a lightheartedness curiosity and with a “zest” for it.
And most of all, I hope we enjoy each other.
I am sure he wants that for all of us. From his enlightened vantage point.
God bless you buddy.
Amen.
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