August 6th was a very difficult day for me. I received a call from Waheeda’s family in the morning to say she was in the hospital and in critical condition. My sister and I rushed from Blore to Manipal Hospital, Mysore. Sadly, she passed away at 2 pm before I could see her alive, leaving her family and friends in deep grief.
She was hale and hearty, always smiling, gentle, polite, and dignified. Last month, I met her and her husband when she was still in grief over losing her brother in February.
She started a school for kids, was extremely happy with her work, and loved teaching tiny tots. She also loved making videos for them and teaching rhymes, which she was good at.
Ours is a friendship of 40 years. We knew each other’s families well and took part in both happy and sad moments. She and her husband were with me when my mother passed away last year.
She comes from a coffee planter’s family, a rich, elite, and educated Muslim family from Kodagu. All the women in her family, including her mother were educated in a boarding school in Ooty. Her grandfather was the head of Southern Railway headquartes in Mysore and the family stayed in a huge bunglow railway quarters in Yadavagiri. Her father was an officer in Coffee Board, Blore. Later after retirement, they moved to a palatial house in Saraswathipuram that faces a park. The house is still a landmark in the neighborhood.
She was brought up in a joint family, and I used to be part of all festivals, including birthdays. The family showered me with love and affection, and her grandparents treated me as a member of the family.
Well known Kannada journalist I.K. Jagirdhar was her uncle. Karnataka’s prominent politician F.M.Khan was her grand mama. All her sisters and the women in her family are well-educated role models for a progressive household who always treat people with respect and dignity.
We were classmates in an MA in Journalism at Manasagangotri. We did an internship together at the Indian Express. After I started teaching in UoM, she joined me as a guest faculty member, and we worked together. She was later selected at Mangalore University and stayed there until she retired.
She wanted to do a Ph.D under my guidance and it was a beautiful academic journey for both of us. She was my first Ph.D candidate, and will always be proud of her work. We together attended many international conferences. I visited and stayed with her when she was in Mangalore.
Just last month, we met and I never thought I wouldn’t be meeting her again. I cherish her friendship, which is so pure and sacred. You left us too soon. We are going to miss you and your large heartedness and hospitality.
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ಪ್ರೊ.ಎನ್. ಉಷಾರಾಣಿ
ನಿವೃತ್ತ ಪ್ರಾಧ್ಯಾಪಕರು, ಪತ್ರಿಕೋದ್ಯಮ ಮತ್ತು ಸಮೂಹ ಸಂವಹನ ವಿಭಾಗ,
ಮೈಸೂರು ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾನಿಲಯ
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