A couple of photographs from Pune days

These are the only two photos from our Pune campus days in my collection which have Ashwani. CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE LARGER IMAGE.

Ashwani Kumar.....

Dear all,

I have created this blogsite in memory of our dear friend Ashwani Kumar, who left us all on 17-May-2008 in an unfortunate road accident at Indore.

This site can be used to pen down our memories of Ashwani and it will enable various friends and acquaintances of Ashwani in India and elsewhere to share the feelings. Once Meeta gets back to accessing the web, she can see it all and start participating too.

I am keeping the blogsite in open access mode and you can access it without any log in ID. Please remember to leave your identity (just name and place will suffice) so that others can recognise you. If you are using your GMail or Orkut ID to log in, then this is not necessary.

Thanks
Subbi
(Ashwani's M.Sc classmate at Pune University)

Lovely Days in Pune with Ashwani

My memories of Ashwani go back to a hot 1987 July evening at Hostel No.7, Pune University Campus, when he arrived as my M.Sc classmate. In just a few days, the soft-spoken, gentle mannered Ashwani became thick friends with the rest of us, a motley mix of students from various regions of India, to form the group of "9". I vividly remember his sense of humour, brought to the fore many times during our numerous birthday parties at the hostel and other such occasions. I also remember the tasty matris and home-made achar (North style: sweet&sour) he brought for all of us from home after vacations. Our group spent the most memorable time of our life together with Ashwani in the Pune campus.

After we graduated in 1989, we all got dispersed to various parts of India and abroad. With him at IUC-DAEF Indore and me in Kalpakkam, my contacts with Ashwani over the years were reduced to the occasional bumping into each other at DAE Solid Sate Physics Symposia. Of course, each time we met, we got back into the groove instantly and never ever felt the effects of huge gaps in friendship that lapse of time creates. In the recent two years, I happened to make frequent trips to Indore for official purpose. Each trip, I made it a point to contact Ashwani. I was happy to see Ashwani and Meeta as a couple. Whether it was their hospitality or giving company to me for shopping, I enjoyed being with them immensely. I met Ashwani last in February 2007 at Indore the night before my departure. Meeta may remember the little conversation that took place while he dropped me back late at night after a sumptuous dinner in their house, at the IUC Guest House. He asked me “Subbi..so this is the last time I will be meeting you at Indore, isn’t so?” I immediately corrected him that may be this is the last time I am in Indore with respect to the two year bout of frequent trips for a certain purpose, but I will be coming again to Indore for other reasons and I will definitely be meeting him in future too. Alas…I have been rendered wrong.

From him, myself and all my Pune friends have learnt that patience, hardwork and soft-manners are key elements for progressing in life. This is the message Ashwani has left us, apart from the ever-sweet memories of the splendid company he gave us at Pune University campus.