Arun Arjunan

I have been meaning to post something a lot earlier but I struggle to find the words and struggle from the pain of his loss. I get sad, feel guilty and then fear my words cannot express how amazing Arun was. I still have a hard time believing it is real and posting this only makes this new reality harder to ignore. There have been so many incredible posts that really capture Arun's great personality and how much he means to people. I am not sure what more I can add other than to echo those sentiments. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Arun is pure, genuine joy. I can only describe it as this positive, joyful energy that came off of him. Whenever he was passionate or excited about something (be it music, shows, sports, or freebirds burritos) you inevitably would become just as excited as he was. I think what Arun had was a genuine desire to share with others. His passions, happiness, humor, knowledge and anything else he thought would uplift and grow a person he wanted to pass that on. He gave and shared without counting the cost. He extended his hand in an unwavering and loyal friendship that few can match. He was only ever himself. Reliable. Genuine. No masks, no guessing with this guy. A breath of fresh air. Arun was one of the first persons I met at Texas A&M. He was a bright light. He was a very close friend of my older brother, PJ, but he quickly befriended me and we got close as well. He always looked out for me during our time at A&M (sometimes more than my actual older brother lol). I remember us enjoying watching movies, listening to music, eating, walking around campus, studying, and having deep to silly light hearted conversations. He introduced me to many things and taught me so much. Everytime I step into a Freebirds, which he first introduced me to, I think of Arun and his pure joy. Everytime I hear or see Game of Thrones references I think of Arun. He watched the first season all over again with me to help me keep track of all the characters. Talk about a great friend. Certain songs always bring him to mind. We went to a Jay Z concert in Houston, for his Blueprint tour. I still consider that to be the greatest concert I have ever gone to. It was just Arun and I that went from our circle. It is a classic album and was great to see it performed live but what made it the greatest concert was being able to share that experience with Arun. He was the kind of person that elevated experiences because he thoroughly enjoyed it himself. That was fun to watch. There are so many things that make me think of Arun from our time together at College Station, Austin and Houston. From all the posts, I know his memories will live. He was a funny guy and also super intelligent. He was easily one of the smartest people at A&M that myself and many people knew. I saw him not only as a great friend but also as an older brother. Many people have love for Arun, including myself. I am saddened that someone with so much potential and purity with how he interacted with people is not here with us anymore. I'm still processing the loss and not sure if that will ever stop. I can't imagine the pain his family is feeling. My deepest condolences for your loss. I wish I could have been there more for you. I miss you Arun. I pray you have peace and I pray for the the best in your next chapter. Love, Bobby