Nikhil still resides

The Nikhil I know... Not just the epitome of perfection, but a good neighbour, an awesome friend and a man of character...

You will always reside in all our hearts Nikhil!

best back bencher part two..

actually this is the last chat conversation i had with nikhil(sept 6th )

9:23 PM me: comet..happy birthday..

11:23 PM
kamath.nikhil:Thanks...

best back bencher ever

11:41 PM me: hi hi hi hi

11:45 PM kamath.nikhil: hi hi hi hi

Job safe?

me: yes yes..job very safe..

how were mid terms..

11:46 PM did you drink yet?

kamath.nikhil: My balance sheet balanced in accounting, so I'm happy..

No...I thought you gave RT 2 years?

11:48 PM Don't tell me you are still in office...

11:49 PM me: no no..even though i love it so much this is heights..in friends place in banglore..

what is rt 2??

11:50 PM kamath.nikhil: Tamizh is called RT in class...One Prof said 'I can't pronounce your name, so I'll call you RT'...

11:54 PM me: yes yes i gave rt two years..but i think it will be tough for him..

heard you got your face painted by two girls..hitting on girls and all eh??

11:55 PM kamath.nikhil: Forget me...Just you wait for Ass-Man pics...


-my last chat conversation with nikhil..

Remember you as a time of the day, as a way of life.

Tall is the perhaps the first word that comes to mind when I think of Nikhil. He was was so tall, scored such high marks, had such lofty ambitions and every time we were being petty teenagers(like telling a certain absent-minded teacher "Ma'am totalling error!" and getting some extra marks from her was like taking candy from a child!) I remember Nikhil would take the high road and sit it out. Not that he was Mr.Goody two shoes, he had a fantastic sense of humour. I remember him calling me aside sometimes to tell me a joke or some ridiculous piece of nonsense.

We'd often get piled into the same group and I'd secretly be relieved because I knew the work would be done with Nikhil at the helm, I suspect his feelings were quite the contrary! On one such assignment I recall Nikhil suggested we make a particular team member wear a transparent shirt ala SRK in K3G and do the soppy Suraj Hua Madham or a Hawaiian shirt and do a tropical number. I can't remember which assignment this was for the life of me but I remember discussing this after assembly so vividly!

There was this competition we were packed off to Rosary Matric where we had to sell seasons(yes sell summer and winter etc!) and Nikhil rescued me when I forgot my lines, and then the western music competition in the fifth when he had to sing "Brown Girl in the ring" and his ears got red and he had a bout of stage fright. I met him after school at a lot of Scrabble tourneys. At one such tourney in Bangalore that I was so close to winning, the last of the round robins was with Nikhil who stumped me with a bingo on one of the penultimate moves. He placed the tiles on the board with both his hands gingerly and I noticed there weren't any tiles left on his rack. That one game pushed me to the fourth position overall and I think it speaks volumes about him when I say I couldn't hold it against him! That's a big deal if you consider I was strangely quite angry with a girl 5 yrs younger than me who I'd beat by a small margin...

I don't know what these memories are supposed to signify, I don't know if I'm supposed to showcase his virtues by means of these incidents...I guess I'm grasping at the tail ends of memories before they're lost forever. But you know what? I don't need to recall a single incident to remember, to know what a great guy Nikhil was.

Nikhil is perhaps the one person who could have put me down anytime he wanted, he was so much better than me, us, in every possible way but not once did he do that. Not once did he utter a mean word or was he hurtfully sarcastic or crack a crass joke about anyone. He was the smartest person on the planet no doubt but I will always remember him for being someone much more than that.

I don't believe that you could have changed the world Nikhil, I KNOW that in your own strong silent way you did. I'm so proud to have known you, it's been an honour.
- Shilpa

Nikhil..

I have been in the same class as Nikhil since my 3rd standard well into the 12th. He was someone who was looked up at with awe. And I never gathered enough nerve to talk to him, inspite of his humble demeanour; such was his standing. It was an undisputed fact that Nikhil was one of those super-achievers who were few and far between and were carved out for great things in life. And now, I'm lost for words. Such was the impact of Nikhil. To even someone who never spoke to him!

May his soul rest in peace. Humble prayers and condolences to his parents and brother.

Remember Nikhil

Unfairness slaps your face in a way that you cant react to it. Nothing can compare to the loss of probably one of the most brilliant young minds in our country today. We can only mourn and strive to hold on to the memories we have of that soft spoken, humble, yet confident boy who is now immortalised as the boy who had just started out, only to have his life unjustly snatched away from him. He did everything right. He used every opportunity he got and led the ideal life we all should have. He was on all the rolls of honour everywhere he went. He made us get used to seeing a familiar face in the newspaper every week. He made people who had never spoken to him know that there was a higher plane and it was not unreachable. And yet his life was cut short mercilessly despite whatever is supposed to be watching over us.
While we all seek each other out to reminisce the immaculate life of our 22 year old friend, I cannot help but feel obliged to repeat to myself and everybody else around. He was doing everything he had to.
We must remember Nikhil.
I pray for his family and can never fully express the angst, from any of us.
Rest in Peace, Nikhil.

Remember Nikhil