Today, 16th September, would have been Nalini's 68th birthday if she had not been rudely taken away from us 35 years ago.
I pay tribute to my dear elder sister.
I also thank God that she was taken when she was.
This picture of Nalini taken in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra by Thambichayan. It was taken when she visited our dear cousin, Ashwathykochamma (Nalini's closest friend), and her husband, Thambichayan, just before Nalini was engaged to be married.
Nalini had a wonderful time in New Delhi. On her return she had told me that I would really enjoy living in Delhi which she thought was a fabulous city and really looked and felt like a capital.
When I joined St. Stephen's College in 1960 and Nalini came back to Bombay for her tragic confinement in September 1960 at St. Elizabeth's Nursing Home on Malabar Hill, I had told her that I agreed with her that New Delhi was a great city.
Despite her being so close to her confinement, Nalini came to the Bombay Central Railway Station to see Suresh (Dr. Peter Philip) and me off on the Air-Conditioned Janata Express after our September holidays from college. We had had a wonderful holiday.
A few weeks later, I returned to see her suffer her last few days as she went through the horrible scourge of tetanus.
Sadly, she was not conscious. But all of us who were there knew that she knew, even in her unconscious state, when a person she loved was in the room. I especially remember Peelukuttychayan (Pappa now 93), Chinammakochamma (Mummy now 87), Ammachi (our late mother) and Appachen (our late father) being among those she reacted too.
As I held her hand on a few occasions on those last few days, I could feel the throbbing senses of a truly wonderful personality - my most beloved sister.
No comments:
Post a Comment