OBITUARY: Monsoon Baruah

Vaz - Adieu dear friend!

Born on 22nd August, 1967 to Lt Bhupen Baruah, retd I.A.S and Ina Baruah , retired Principal, KendriyaVidyalay, I.O.C, Noonmati, Monsoon left us all on that fateful night of 2nd 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, kikoriso!'.

Monsoon, Prathana, Meenakshi and Faiza have been close knit friends as long as I can remember. I reminisce 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 Vaz, presently the CEO of BATLIBOI 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, she is 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!

– MousumiBarooah

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