Sudha, Basu, Mummy, Amma, Mausi, Chachi, Taiji, Dadi, Nani, Mrs. Joshi. Joshi M'am
– so many different names for her, and so much love infused by her into each relation.
It was an honor to be part of her life and to have our lives impacted by her positive influence.
She was a courageous woman, for whom, struggles started early in life. She bore it all with her characteristic fortitude and faith, and became an example of how difficulties could be surpassed with inner strength.
In her multitudinous roles across her family, neighborhood and school, she was respected and loved greatly by all those who got to know her.
We have all experienced her love, firmness, discipline, guidance......... and have stories to tell.
With a career spanning 32 years, she strived for excellence in her profession as a teacher and gained the respect of her students and colleagues. In spite of having been dealt a cruel blow very early in life, when she lost her husband, she displayed immense fortitude and discipline, and a fierce fighting spirit - and soldiered on for all her life, to overcome her challenges and to provide a good upbringing to her children.
A pillar of support to family, friends and community - she was always someone you could depend on in your hour of need. Friend, mentor and guide, she taught generations and took immense pride in her students' achievements.
With broad ranging interests in gardening, travel, food, arts, culture and entertainment, she was an accomplished conversationalist and loved spending time with family and friends.
With a larger than life personality, she remembered everything about everybody, from the smallest personal details to the largest accomplishments and never failed to connect with them on special life occasions.
She had near perfect recall of people and events and frequently amazed her students, when she remembered their names and batch years & what they were notorious for. Each discussion would trigger multiple connected strands and the entire conversation would become a kaleidoscope of memories.
She tested positive for Covid on April 25, 2021, at the peak of India's deadly second wave.
As was her way of disregarding her own discomfort since early youth, she ignored what she felt was a cold brought on by eating cold fruit & yoghurt.
She was hospitalized at the Metro Hospital, Noida on April 26th, when there were no beds available in Delhi hospitals and total mayhem in Delhi over oxygen supply.
With family, colleagues and her immensely supportive students rallying around to help, she was admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre on April 28th. Unfortunately, the damage to her, a totally healthy person before Covid struck, was unrepairable, by then.
She passed away on May 12, 2021, after a good fight - soldiering on till the end. She was almost 76.
She is survived by a son, a daughter, four grandchildren and countless family, friends and students, who carry forward her zest for life and learning.
This memorial is created to help us share those stories with each other and in so doing, give us the strength to deal with the pain of her passing.
Do share stories, incidents and interactions with her ..!
1. leave small TRIBUTES (on this page, after this section) or
2. write stories of moments you shared or the paths you have travelled with Sudha under the 'STORIES' tab or
3. upload any photos, video clips, songs or audio messages that you may want to share in memory of Sudha under the 'GALLERY' tab above.
Remembering her,
The family of Sudha Joshi