My name is Neerja Sharma. My husband Om and I are very close friends of Ashish’s parents, Rajiv and Suman, from before he was born. We live in New Delhi, India.

My daughter Tanvi was a year older than Ashish.

Ashish was a non-fussy, mild mannered and a soft spoken child. As Ashish’s father was in the Indian Air Force, we met the family whenever they were in Delhi.

When the families met, rather than playing , both Ashish and Tanvi were found to be engrossed in reading their books. We kept meeting until Ashish left for US for higher studies. We did meet a few times when he came to India, e.g. for his sister’s wedding. However, we talked a lot about him as his parents would update us about his research and his achievements. We knew every time they went to be with him, specially during his illness and recovery.

His demise came to us as a shock as he was supposed to be getting better. We went to meet the parents as soon as they returned with his ashes. It was tough for them, but they were calm and composed.

We miss Ashish a lot, specially when the families meet.

Neerja Sharma