My daughter Arundhati, was every thing any mother could have wished for. She was beautiful inside and out, hardworking, gentle, intelligent. She was a wonderful Bharathnatyam dancer and a sensitive poet. She was a giving person who would go out of her way to help others, generous to a fault, she put others before self.
If I were to describe my daughter in a word , it would be, ‘divine‘! If I would describe how she treated everything from studies to art, to relationships in one word , it would be ‘passion‘.
When she set her goal on something, she would give it her all…no mater what obstacles crossed her path, she would surmount them.
She was a dedicated student an avid reader and an accomplished dancer. She was her house captain and a leader who lead from the front.She graduated from National Public School in 2008. I was dead against her joining medicine and wanted her to take up Life Sciences from Birla institute of Technology which she had aced. I wanted her to enjoy life and be able to devote time to things that she loved doing like writing, reading and Art. Which is not something one can do when one steps into the portals of Medical Studies and work. However, ever since she was a little girl, she would play with my stethoscope and wanted to be a doctor..Needless to say, once she set her heart on the goal, she gave it her all. She got into Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College where she joined on the 4th of August 2008.
Her 5 and 1/2 years at Sri Devaraj Urs Medical college, taught her a lot besides medicine. She did not enjoy all her years there but she remained grateful to the college for the knowledge and the special friends she made there. But most importantly, because, she met her best friend and the love of her life there. A childhood acquaintance to start with, friendship bloomed and turned into something much more deeper leading to a relationship of the soul.
She graduated in March 2014 topping in 11 of the 14 subjects in MBBS and graduating at the top of her class.
She also managed to get into CMC Vellore for a Diploma in Clinical Pathology. Joining Vellore was a dream come true, Vellore being the top institute in the country and most importantly , for her, because her fiancé also had got into the MD pathology program. We, her elders were thrilled that our children had reached there with hard work and grit.
During her brief stint at CMC, she worked hard and I was amazed at how good and well she had started picking and learning the subjects. She was loved by the students she tutored. The seniors who came in touch with and her teachers who told us how good she was, unfortunately, after her death.
Her marriage was planned for the 15/5/15 a date she chose.
Unfortunately for us, we lost our wonderful child to a freak accident on a badly managed road in Vellore on the 9th of September 2014. A beautiful life cruelly brought to a halt by a bad road…
Life without our daughter Arundhati is meaningless and empty to us. Crying will never get her back to us. We, her parents, have embarked on a journey to carry forward Arundhati’s unfinished work here on earth.
Thus on 27 th of December 2014, was born The Arundhati Foundation, a non-profit trust. The foundation has embarked on a journey to keep our daughter’s passions alive not only in memory but also in deed. We have undertaken 4 programmes as of now:
- Aabha: pursuit in excellence in pathology in the form of a gold medal, The Dr. Arundhati Tambwekar award for Excellence in Pathology to be conferred on the graduate from CMC who scores the highest marks at the MGR university in DCP, MD in Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine, and MD in General Pathology.
- Dhwani: sponsoring one hearing impaired person with a hearing aid. Rajan hearing clinic is our partner sponsoring 20% of the cost of the aid
- Vikram: an endeavor for road safety and civic responsibility. We are also partnering with Savelife foundation in this regard.
- Aditi: helping financially deprived girl students doing undergraduate medical studies with pathology books
This journey has just begun …in death, as in life, my daughter continues to me my inspiration and pride.
One of Aru’s favourite quotes
My candle is lit on both ends
It will not last the night
But oh my foes, and ah my friends
It gives a lovely light …… Edna St. Vincent Millay
