We did not personally know Ashish.  The connection we feel to him and his family is however deep and heartfelt.  The 90-year-old matriarch of our family, Mrs Raj Tewari, recalls seeing Ashish being held by his proud grandparents as a baby.   She clearly remembers the day when her husband, Professor Tewari and Ashish’s grandfather, Professor Kalia, drove all the way to New Delhi to pick up baby Ashish and his parents to bring him to his grandparents’ home in Kurukshetra for the very first time. 

Once safely in “maternal land”, Ashish was passed around to be loved and adored by his fans on the University campus.  Undoubtedly, he was a charmer from the very outset !

The Kalia family (Ashish’s maternal family) and the Tewari family go back a long way.  Ashish’s grandparents had been close friends of Mrs Tewari and her husband Professor Tewari.  Amongst many other things, the two families shared a never ending and voracious love of food.  

Ashish’s Mum, Suman, and Mrs. Tewari’s daughter, Uma, were class mates in primary and  high school and were close friends.  That friendship endures to this day.  Suman was a regular visitor at the Tewari home and Uma was equally at home in the Kalia household.  Contact was lost once Uma moved to the US and subsequently to Australia but those long held bonds never diminished.

Mrs Tewari often wondered what had become of Ashish, that cute little baby she saw all those years ago.  Her questions were ultimately answered when the girls reconnected years later and picked up from where they had left.  Memories were revived,  WhatsApp conversations lasted hours,  members of both families located, the missing ones mourned and wept for, bringing folios up to date. 

Mrs. Tewari and Uma were delighted to learn that Ashish had made his mark in the sciences and moved to the US.  In keeping with the ‘Desi’ community in America, Ashish epitomised what it meant to be successful and proved that the Indian diaspora is an important part of that country’s innovation story.  

What jarred though and what pained the Tewari family was the fact that Ashish was seriously unwell.  The Tewari family joined Suman and Rajiv to pray for a recovery without even once considering that things will end the way they did.  There was hope that sincere good will, best wishes and prayers will help Ashish pull through the battle that became a part of all our lives.    Suman showed tremendous stoicism during the last few years as we helplessly watched the enormous suffering Ashish had to undergo.  Suman’s phone calls kept everybody informed of the bravery and good humour Ashish showed.  It was, however, never difficult to imagine what our dear strapping young, handsome lad was having to endure.  Suman’s unfailing love, devotion and tender nursing are signs of her deep love and affection for the treasure that was Ashish.

Imagine the grief and distress when Suman sent the terrible news.  Old memories welled up, tears flowed relentlessly and the whole world turned upside down.   There was  also this realisation that our  grief was nothing in comparison to what  Suman and Rajiv were going through.  What was clear though was the fact that there were people in Australia who suffered with them and would do anything to take away the pain if they could.  Helplessness oftentimes turned to anger at the cruelty that befell our larger family.  That feeling continues …

THE TEWARI FAMILY