Peetambaram Rajan, 56, of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, passed away earlier this week following a severe illness.
However, despite the fact that there don’t seem to be many details about Rajan’s life online, the reactions of people he left behind indicate that it was filled with love.
Not just for people, either.
Rajan was well-known for his love of animals, according to the Tamil Mirror. He was apparently visited daily by a neighborhood gray langur, to which he would provide goodies.
But it seems that Rajan did more for her than just satisfy her hunger. He appeared to have affected her heart as well.
Rajan’s companion the monkey, whom he had made in life, joined his heartbroken family on Tuesday as they gathered to pay their last respects after his departure. She was also in grief.
Given the trusting relationship the langur had with Rajan, it should come as no surprise that she would be saddened to learn he’d passed away.
Though, at times, there may appear to be a divide between people and other animals — our feelings of love and loss are much the same.
“There is no doubt that many animals experience rich and deep emotions,” writes animal behaviorist Dr. Mark Bekoff in Psychology Today. “It’s not a matter of if emotions have evolved in animals but why they have evolved as they have. We must never forget that our emotions are the gifts of our ancestors, our animal kin. We have feelings and so do other animals. Among the different emotions that animals display clearly and unambiguously is grief.”
