Lest We Forget

Silent prayer for the departed soul

There was no music during the exercises today. We did not laugh during the Laughter Round. We started with the ‘silent laughter’ exercise instead. And at the end, a two-minute silence was observed in the memory of Laxmi Naidu.
A sense of loss pervaded the Club all through the morning as members tried to come to terms with her untimely death (see post of August 3) yesterday. In fact, her absence had become larger than when she was present in our midst.
A visibly dismayed Mohar Singh walked around aimlessly reminding everybody that he was the only one to wish her ‘Vannakam’ every morning and how she would invariably correct him by saying ‘Namaskaram’. “Such a peaceful lady she was,” he said. “I could never have imagined that she had so much of suffering inside her?”
Nahid Khan pointed out that by nature, Lakshmi Naidu was an intensely private person. “But I could make out that behind her good-naturedness, she had a lot of grief bottled up. Such is fate... But then, what could we have done had she shared her problems with us?

Sense of loss pervades the Club

Could we have reversed fate?”
“I have always maintained that we should be frank and open about our medical problems,” countered Arun Patil. “I do not know if she had even gone for chemotherapy. Had she discussed her cancer issue or the treatment she was taking, who knows some of us would have advised an alternate line of treatment which could have prolonged her life.”
Banoo Apa informed that she had lost her sister to breast cancer years back and she could well empathise with Laxmi Naidu on the lung infection and respiratory problems in her last days. “The pain is unbearable, believe me” she said. “Not only is the person affected in agony but all those around her would have to suffer out of sheer helplessness.”
Most others like Shekhawat, Karuna Waghmare, Kiran Prakash, Santosh Tyagi and Swati Punjabi listened in silence, much too bewildered to react. But everyone agreed that a good soul like Laxmi did not deserve to suffer any more and that she is now in a much happier place.
Siba Prasad Maitra:
Extremely sorry to learn about the sad demise of Laxmi Naidu. She was a smiling lady and we will miss her very much in the Garden. May her soul rest in peace.
Bhaswati Bose:
We are going to miss her badly. Apart from being a smiling presence in the garden, she had accompanied us to Darjeeling and Gangtok. I cannot forget how we enjoyed together. She road a yak also -- something even I did not dare to do.
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
The sad demise of Laxmi Naidu has come as a great shock to me. She was always calm and composed. Her sudden departure has left a deep void in our lives -- both in Big Laaf and of her near and dear ones. May God grant peace to her soul and the courage to her family to bear the irreparable loss.