Monsoon- Adieu dear friend!

Born on 22nd August, 1967 to Lt Bhupen Barua,retd I.A.S and Ina Barooah, retd Principal, Kendriya

Vidyalay, I.O.C,Noonmati, Monsoon left us all on that fateful night of 2

nd July, 2020.

It is a strange feeling to be writing this paean to Monsoon, to come to terms to the fact that a sprightly

person like her should succumb so resignedly to the ravages of her ailment.

Monsoon was a fighter. Indeed she was made of a different mettle. She kept the news of her prognosis

to herself and fought a lone battle. She never confided in us lest we should break down. Her husband

Daniel spoke of how she went about the chemotherapy with 'a stoic resolve and a smile'. It was her

tenacity that made her report for work the next morning after a session and with blued hands from

intravenous drips.

In introspection we realize now why Monsoon always seemed to be in a perpetual hurry. Probably she

had the premonition that life was coming full circle. Prathana, her cousin sister remembers how

Monsoon released herself hastily from their last embrace at the airport in a bid to board her flight back

to Mumbai during her last trip to Guwahati.

Our last sojourn was during the housewarming of Prathana, last October. Monsoon ensured that it was

one grand reunion of friends. She sprang surprises and made everyone exhilerated. She had this

effervescent quality which was quite infectious. But then Monsoon was cut out for being the life of

every gathering. She would be the cynosure for the rest of the evening from the moment she made her

appearance at the threshold, her pretty petite self with those dreamy grey blue eyes and pale

complexion with a friendly bonhomie ' Oi, ki koriso!'.

Monsoon, Prathana, Meenakshi and Faiza have been close knit friends as long as I can remember. I

reminsce my long association with Monsoon and her sister Balaka ( Agarwal) fondly. For a year we

shared accomodation as Monsoon and Balaka joined the fabled Fergusson College, Pune and I, The

Poona University. Of course Monsoon went on to bag the first class first position in Economics for her

post- graduation from Fergusson.

Monsoon treaded this earth for a brief season but managed to compress an entire lifetime. She took her

voluntary retirement last December as Director,DHL,Mumbai. Her only child, Brian Vaz is pursuing his

MBA from Cologne in Germany after completion of his engineering degree. Monsoon was a supportive

wife to Daniel, presently the CEO of BATLIBOI Ltd and also head coach, Nike. She had accompanied him

for his various Marathons to Berlin(Germany), Lausanne(Switzerland), Istanbul(Turkey),

Lochness(Scotland) and Budapest(Hungary).

Monsoon's going away will be a valuable reminder to us to embrace and celebrate life like she did, like

there is no tomorrow. The eponymous ray of sunshine, shes the first among us to depart from the

banquet hall. She is forever going to be this missing piece of jigsaw which fitted in perfectly and made

the picture complete. Just like in us, she has created a void in the lives of the elderly neighbours at

Sunderpur on whom she would call dutifully and have a tete- e - tete to her heart's content. She is

leaving a void in the heart of her dear mother for whom there will be no reason to look forward to her

loving daughter coming over impromptu with a surprise in tow.

Goodbye shinning star! The loveliest, brightest and the purest!

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