To Nandini, With Love

One pleasant evening in July 1997, my dad was inducted into the Rotary Movement. It was on that evening that I met one of my mom's collegue Savithri aunty & her daughter Nandini, their family was already into rotary. "Nandini" I have a great fascination for this name right from a very young age & am easily attracted to someone with that name!! Plus her big bright smile attracted me!!! Till date according to me Nandini's smile is the best!!
Nandini & I became very close during our 1st meeting itself. Then by & by as I started spending more time with her I noticed that she was a very beautiful person on the inside as well... she was an excellent student, superb orator,avid quizzer & amazing dancer, in short a multitalented person. I started learning a lot from her& we together used to organise many programmes and entertain people in our club. We enjoyed each other's company and she was like a elder sister to me. I still remember doing dandiya with her during diwali in the year 1999.
Then when I completed school and looking out for colleges it was she who suggested her college which offered the course I wanted- MOP Vaishnav College. I liked the college a lot at first sight & spent 3 glorious years there. Nandini was my senior and she passed out of college the year I joined it. After that I did not get to see much of Nandini, because she was busy with her PG & then she joined one of the most established IT company and became extremely busy. Then during my final year, I learnt from my mother that Nandini was not keeping well, and was working from home. I really felt awful and prayed for her all night. After about a year, On the night of 24th dec 2005, while I was spending christmas vacation at my cousin's residence, I recieve a call saying that Nandini had gone... Gone to a place from where she cannot return.... I was totally shocked!! It was that night that I came to know that Nandini had gone because of lymphatic cancer & was under treatment for the same. That night I did not have a wink of sleep, her thoughts came gushing in.
It has been 4 years now & I miss her a lot!!! Her parents(she was an only child) have stopped socializing though I get to meet her dad & speak to him, I have not met her mom at all in these four years. I spoke to her on the phone once but every time I speak to her I remember Nandini & struggle a lot not to ask her "How is Nandini"?? Same applies to her dad also. But atleast with him I can keep from asking this question somehow but not with aunty. Both her parents see me as their daughter- which gives me a lot of satisfaction and pride that they see Nandini through me.Nandini has also contributed in a big way to what Iam today by showing me our college & teaching me a lot of lessons for life. I still believe that she is living somewhere in this world and I cannot get to meet her. Miss her terribly when I organise /entertain /sing/ compere in the club and I always think of her. Miss you Nandini!!! I know that you are reading this post from somewhere & flashing your big bright smile.... Miss you. Love you !!