May 5, 2009

My lovely Varsha....

I met her out of the blue. We talked and I just don't know how soon we grew over the other in affection. In matter of days we became verrrry close. We talked music, we talked music, and we talked about music.... carnatic all the way and some of movies. We were probably destined to meet.

She was studying law, and lived in the hostel. If she could turn on her microphone while talking to me, if it was sensitive enough, I would have heard a soft continuous 'C' note which we term as 'Shruti' in Indian music. I asked Varsha how she finds the hostel environment. She said she cant sing aloud or play her music louder and get shouted down by her roommates. When no one is around, she plays them and enjoys. I asked her further more about the hostel. She put me on hold for few minutes and came back to tell me that she had to suddenly kill the 'C' note that was going on for long. I asked her how she did it. 'I followed the note and slapped it on the wall' she said. The splattered mosquito probably filled up remaining part of graphics on the wall with rest of its family.

'How in the world can you live in such a place?' I asked 'why can't you enclose a mosquito net or something?' I liked what she said 'However when I cant play my music, I have these mosquitoes helping me with the Shruti and I construct a song with it and humm it along....' Adaptation. She adapted to what she had. Poor girl hardly knew she was being slowly injected with virus by those Shrutis everynight.

She messaged me that she got selected for the 'Moot Court' team which represented India in the US. She deserved the selection. We still chatted on Yahoo while she prepared to leave on the tour, but her excitement was missing. I did not much sense what was really wrong with her. She said she just doesnt want to go. But I turned myself into Vivekananda telling her how this opportunity can change her life... how she should have her mental makeup to succeed etc etc...

Next day, her roommate told me she was suffering from fever and wasn't able to talk to me. I did not have a way to call her. So no communication. She messaged me later that she is ok and was getting ready to go.

Not till days later I got her message again that she was doing ok, despite high fever during the day and even in the Moot Court she was managing somehow. I had prescribed her some pure vegetarian food which she can manage in the US. She saw some doctor with help of her brother but it wasn't of much help. She was asked to return to India to get admitted in a Delhi hospital. Her parents live in Delhi, so it was safe.

Her roommate after many days told me that Varsha did very well in the Moot Court. She was given a cash prize about $2500 and an award. I was very happy to hear that she did it even with her health conditions.

Before Varsha left for US, I had asked her to visit my home after her return. She promised she will. At a point, I was planning to offer her my first floor small house to stay. Her college would just be at 10 minutes walk. I didn't want her to be in hostel. But I actually did not tell her about the plan.

She was treated for her fever and headache at Delhi. I don't really know what the doctors suggested her parents. She was then taken home to be under her parent's care. No one, even the doctors, had any clue of why her fever persisted. Doctors could not even diagonize the problem. She always told her friend that she wanted to come back to Bangalore and see her 'Anna' (brother,) thats me.

I was in the office working that day. In the afternoon, Varsha's professor, who is a good friend of mine, called me. She said 'Varsha is no more! She had Meningitis. She died this morning.'

That shattered me into pieces. I never saw Varsha in real life. But we developed such a wonderful bond between us, that I truly loved her and cared for her like my own sister. She lived with the music of mosquitoes which finally killed her.....

She died on May 5th, 5 years ago. She lives in my heart for ever.... I always wish her next life be filled with joy and happiness and a wonderful health....

No comments: