December 04, 2017

Leela Ramadas - Going Home




Bye, Leela!

Leela, Ramadas and Govind.. Early Years!

I guess sometimes good people just go home earlier.

It must be ..in the case of dear Leela.

Our paths crossed when we entered USM in 1972.

On graduating, we joined the civil service.

18 August 1975, Leela and I reported for duty at the Ministry of Local Government and Federal Territory.

We really had a uproarious time..shared happy office hours. Times of our lives!

We did tea, we did lunch and we had fun...Leela, Arul and me.

I attended her Deepavali open house at Kg. Pandan.

She got married to Ramadas.

After our few months training at Intan, we parted ways.

Despite that lack of face-to-face  contact, we knew about the goings of each other.

She had her first child, Govind.

Leela...the only person to call me, Hengjee! Most endearingly!


Leela-Cheery as Always

Stepping into the Brown Black and Blues Studio in Desa Sri Hartmas, I turned on my Whatsapp.

A shocking message from Param......" Leela passed away." 12.12 pm it registered on that fateful day... 3rd December 2017.

She left us earlier that morning at Universiti Hospital, UKM.

I told Jenny as she was readying to play on her keyboard.

She was shocked!

I was devastated!

While listening to the Tabularasa Band practising, tears welled up in my eyes.

It sank in. I have lost another golden friend..........

I was to cry many more times on 3rd and 4th December.

Hugging Ramadas, we cried together...Das said he just couldn't believe...Leela has gone!

I cried silently while having dinner with my daughter Juliana at hte Salak South Food Court.

I cried again when Mangai hugged me on the day of Leela's funeral.

It must have been a long goodbye.

She has now gone...gone home!

Goodbye, Golden girl...

You have indeed enriched everyone that you met.

For that we thank you!

You have gladdened many a dear friend's heart!

What a gem of a person,you really were!

She Once Tread on this Earth - An Angel in a Dashing Saree!

Au Revoir! Farewell!

Rest in peace!

Heng

4 December 2017