Charlie Shah
A dozen candles sat melted in front of a framed photograph. Jonny, Sherm and another boy were stood on Rockaway beach, with the sea behind them. They were all young, around seventeen. Jonny and the other boy wore the same triple armband tattoo above the wrist.
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Charlie was best friends with Sherm since they were toddlers, growing up, developing interests, and getting into trouble together. They were an inseparable pair who spent their time skateboarding and fearlessly playing make-believe. The duo soon became a trio when Jonny moved to Brooklyn at age nine. Charlie and Sherm adopted Jonny under their collective wing and inducted him into their adventures as a permanent fixture. Charlie and Shem were elated when their new buddy Jonny could keep up with their intricate never-ending Masters of Mojo sessions, and introduced him to the city via all-day skateboard excursions.​ Â
Charlie had the gift of the gab, talking the boys both in and out of mischief. Dubbing their crew The Three Blunters, (once they made the move from climbing trees to smoking them) Charlie was by nature the trio's leader. His quick thinking, personal drive, and unflinching admiration for his friends were the qualities he was most loved for. The loss of Charlie is felt constantly by those he left behind, a tragedy that will be forever intertwined in the lives of his family, and the remaining Blunters.​ Â
The second son of first generation immigrants, Charlie's family moved from India to New York shortly after the birth of his older brother, Avir. The kids were raised with two main pillars in the household, Hinduism, and boxing. Charlie's uncle, an ex-professional fighter, owns a boxing gym in the Lower East Side, which acts as both a hub for the local community, and a home for Avir. Although he actively followed the sport, and helped coach his big brother, Charlie was not a fan of being in the ring. As confident as he came across, those closest to him knew how fearful Charlie was of physical injury, a trait that inhibited him learning almost any skateboard trick.
