I met her on the first day at my new job. We were forced to acknowledge each other when we found ourselves bumping into each other for the fourth time during the day at the coffee machine. “I am Shivani, you seem to be new around here…” and just with that, I found a friend. We never really worked together, we were just workers in the same company working on the same floor. Over the last one year, we got to know each other. She read my blogs and commented on some posts… and loved the one I wrote about my father. “It reminds me of my own father” she said. She was from Chandigarh, her family half a sub-continent away. She went home last week, and had been smiling about it for the last 2 weeks. “Me and my dad are very close… once the dinner is done and the dishes put away, we go on long drives. Me and my dad, I just cannot wait to get back home”
We all got to eat the sweets she brought from home. We had planned to visit each other outside of work, swap books, and introduce her to my wife. And I was supposed to bring her a slice of my chocolate cake again.
“Sweets at my desk” said her email yesterday. We all went down for a bite and learnt it was her 28th birthday. We wished her many happy returns of the day and told her that she should not be in office and that it was time to leave and party !
Leave she did…. Shivani passed away last night.. A person so fondly known that when she went on leave the entire floor at work noticed her absence, breathed her last with none of us by her side.
Rest in peace Shivani, I wish we made that meeting outside of work happen at least once. And I wish I could have taken you to the Art of Living sessions with me… as we kept planning to.
Nice people have a habit of leaving sooner than expected… leaving those around feeling cheated and helpless.
Of all the dreams dreamt, and wishes hoped for, some come to horribly abrupt endings. Among all the colors life strews across the world, some grey patches remain unpainted.
I will miss the forwards, and the banter at the coffee machine. And I will miss eating the sweets. And I will miss knowing that there is a friend sitting in a cubicle at the far end of the hall the next time I spend a late evening at work.
With all my heart, you will be missed Shivani…
Sussegad.... 
She is a better place right now. May Shivani’s soul rest in peace.Reading about her from you, makes me wanna get to know her… but alas….
She is at a better place 🙂
So long great lady!
I had a tear in my eye by the time I finished reading the blog. I still cant believe it that Shivani will not be coming back……..
Shivani was the sweetest person who always a smiling and a very polite person . Surely will miss her laugh , I still cant believe that I am not going to bump into her any more at the pantry while making my cup of tea.
We were to go for guitar class together!! and had made so many other plans…..
I deeply regret not going out for lunch with her on the 28th Apr 2009 , her bday and she kept insisting.I never thought in my wildest dreams that it would have been the last time I would get to spend some time with her…..
All I can say now is may her soul rest in peace and may god give her parents the strenght to accept this loss…
miss you Shivani
As usual Im touched by your writing . It always happens that good people are gifted to us only for a limited time . Perhaps its God’s way of making us appreciate the present moment and the goodness in it .
Coretta, Susan & Floyd: Thanks for reading this. Writing this post seemed like the only way I could say what I had to say for Shivani.