Lotika Varadarajan passed away on October 9th, 2017. I miss her, as a friend, as the mother in law she was happy to be, as the grandmother she was to my son.
My son and I have written poems about her, which are given below. In addition, I add some pictures showing various aspects of her life. She was on her feet - working, meeting people and planning events, almost till the end - I believe that this is how she would have liked to go.
My son and I have written poems about her, which are given below. In addition, I add some pictures showing various aspects of her life. She was on her feet - working, meeting people and planning events, almost till the end - I believe that this is how she would have liked to go.
Ajji has
gone with the water.
She
will become a white flower.
Her
happiness will burst into the stars.
Nayan Varadarajan
A life..
Wild
elephants and hills of Shillong
Then to
Bangkok, Chulalongkorn
At Miranda
House, with daring do
Away to
Cambridge she flew
Another
world, a brave romance
Sparked
off from a mid-air glance
Drew people
in from many spheres
Sharing their
lives, laughter and tears
Science,
melded with history
Produced
engaging progeny
Kolkata,
with its warm embrace
Chaos
defied her frantic pace
Fine boned
ilish, of silver hue
Perfectly
steamed ‘neath Didi’s view
Breakfasts
lingered o’er cups of tea
Discussing
friends and history
Her world –
that of the seven seas
Of
sailboats guided by the breeze
Salt
smattered steps in still lagoons
Southern
stars and crescent moons
Her world –
that of the warp and weft
Silken
cocoons and fingers deft
Shifting
sands, missing dockyards
Harappan
sites with silent shards
Wood fired
stoves, a simmered stew
Smoky
mithun, fried woodworms too
A world that overflowed with friends
New and
old, at turns and bends
Of dizzying
height and daring depth
A world gone by, we won’t forget
Just for completeness (and for those who would like to know more about her work), here are links to her obituaries-
No comments:
Post a Comment