Tribute To A Dear Friend: Vandana Grover

Vandana Grover, a dear friend, passed away today from Covid. It came as a huge blow to me and to all those who knew this warm, gentle, sympathetic, kind-hearted soul.

I got to know Vandana a few years ago through our shared passion for Scrabble. We first met at one of the Scrabble tournaments in Delhi, and we became friends. What struck me about Vandana the first time I met her was her warmth, the aura of genuine goodness that she seemed to possess, her great diction, and her brilliant command over the English language. A bunch of us Scrabble enthusiasts - Vandana, Ela, Shalini, Sid, and I - would regularly meet up over weekends in Gurgaon, and play the game we all loved. Our favourite haunt was Starbucks in Cyber Hub. It used to be a good few hours of Scrabble, and chatting with like-minded friends. The meet-ups came to an end because of Covid, but the online meet-ups continued.

Kamalini, Vandana, Ela, Me, and Sudhir at a Scrabble
meet-up in Cyber Hub, Gurgaon, in 2017

I discovered Vandana was a real bibliophile. Her favourite author was Daphne du Maurier. She even went to Cornwall in England for a holiday to see what kind of life her favourite author lived. I remember discussing that trip with her, and over the years, we had several discussions about our respective international travels. Seeing Vandana's passion for reading, I invited her to join the book-club in my Gurgaon condominium, The Icon. She readily agreed, and soon she was an integral member of our book-club, along with regulars like Indu, Ritu, Sanjeeta, Gayatri, Puneet, Smita, Rebecca, Frances, Ruchira, my wife Kamalini, and me.

Vandana loved cats, and she had five cats at home. Kamalini, our little son Rehaan, and I once went and had lunch with Vandana and her husband at their Gurgaon home. Vandana and I played Scrabble, while Kamalini and Rehaan played with the cats. Kamalini and Vandana got along very well, which was so easy to understand because of Vandana's warm nature, and lovely mannerisms. They also had a common Loreto background that cemented their bond - Vandana was from Loreto Convent in Delhi and she now taught Economics there, whereas Kamalini was from Loreto House in Kolkata. Vandana and I found another connection - I was from XLRI Jamshedpur, and her daughter also studied there, though that was more than two decades after I had graduated from there!

When my mother passed away in 2019, I was badly shaken because I was very close to her. It took me several months to come out of the huge shock. Many of my friends were supportive during that phase, but Vandana was particularly supportive. During my mother's illness, Vandana regularly enquired about her, and said soothing words that gave me hope. When my mother left us, Vandana came over to pay her condolences, and she would regularly message me to check up on how I was coping. This brought out her extremely caring and sympathetic nature.

Through Covid, Vandana and I were in touch. We played Scrabble online, and we would exchange messages to find out how things were in our respective lives. She was extremely encouraging when I launched my debut book, "Standing Up Tall Against Bullying". She took out the time to read it, she gave a very positive review, she discussed the book with me at length, and she was encouraging in every way possible!

A few months ago, Vandana fondly remembered the last time all of us played Scrabble face-to-face. It was at my home, just a few weeks before the Covid lockdown in March 2020. Vandana didn't like to visit anyone empty-handed, and the day she came over, she gifted Kamalini and me with a beautiful book - Haemin Sunim's "The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down". The book incidentally went on to become the next book we discussed in our virtual book-club meet-up. Vandana said she was waiting for the day when all of us could meet and play Scrabble face-to-face again. That day will alas never come again for Vandana!

It is a tragic, heartbreaking loss indeed! For me, for my wife, for the Scrabble community in Delhi NCR and India, for the Icon book-club, and I'm sure for all the people whose lives she touched with her genuine goodness! With a heavy heart, but with a smile on my face, I will always remember this dear friend who brought so much happiness, calmness, and warmth into our lives!

Rest in peace Vandana. You will be missed forever!

My Visual Travel Experience: Guarda (Switzerland)

Guarda is a little village in the Swiss canton of Graubunden. Situated in the Swiss Alps, the village has close to 150 people. Guarda is located in the municipality of Scuol. It is in a part of Switzerland where the most commonly spoken language is Romansch. Popular destinations in the neighbourhood of Guarda include towns like Chur, St Moritz, Davos, and Klosters. My wife Kamalini Roy, our little son Rehaan, and I spent three days in Guarda in the summer of 2018, during our two and a half week trip across Switzerland. We were amazed at the stunning beauty of this village. Without doubt, Guarda is one of the most beautiful villages I have ever been to. I have my wife to thank for the trip to Guarda. I usually spend most of my travels visiting larger towns. Small villages and places of scenic beauty are what really appeal to her. And over the years, she has got me to appreciate smaller places and natural beauty more than I did earlier.

A view of Guarda

We arrived in Guarda by train from the nearby town of Klosters, where we were staying with my Indian cousin who stays in Klosters with her Swiss husband and their young daughter. Their place was our base-camp during our Swiss holiday. The railway station at Guarda is in the valley at the bottom of the mountain. There are regular buses that take passengers up to the village, barely a 5 minute uphill ride away. We stayed at a charming Airbnb apartment run by Peter and Helen in the heart of the village. Helen was away, but we got to interact closely with Peter. He was a very warm and hospitable host. The apartment was done up in a very pretty manner. We would get a delicious breakfast every morning. Peter took out a lot of time and told us about the points of interest in Guarda, along with its restaurants, and a traditional legend that makes the village famous.

View of Guarda and the surrounding mountains

Beautifully decorated flowers outside our apartment

Guarda has a pretty little church, with a single steeple. It is the most recognizable landmark in the village. Guarda's houses are unique, because many of them have sgraffiti on their exterior. All the houses in the village are numbered Chasa followed by the house number. The houses compete with each other for beauty, as so many of them have this pretty sgraffiti on their facades.

Guarda Church

Interior of Guarda Church

Pulpit, Guarda Church

Church Graveyard

Chasa 51

Chasa 54

Guarda has several hotels and restaurants. Great food options are available at places like Hotel Meisser, Hotel Piz Buin, and Pensuin Val Tuoi. For those who prefer to cook themselves, there is a small but well equipped supermarket called Volg. Our apartment had a kitchen, so we stocked up from the supermarket on a couple of occasions, and made ourselves some delicious meals of Rosti - the unique Swiss potato fries with bits of ham!

Hotel Meisser

Hotel Piz Buin

Pensiun Val Tuoi

Bratwurst and Rosti, Pensiun Val Tuoi

Salad, Hotel Meisser

Guarda is well known for the legend of Schellen Ursli, a little boy who ran away from home in search of a big bell, to take part in a competition. The village has a Schellen Ursli Museum. There is also the Schellen Ursli Weg, a trail along which walkers can go hiking and enjoy the scenic landscapes around the village. We were afraid that the uphill climb would be too much for Rehaan, who was just over 3 and a half years old at that time. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find him running up the hill and leaving us far behind! The little fellow sure is an energy-ball, and we had underestimated his stamina levels! We took a wrong turn during our trail that made our walk several kilometers longer than it should have been, but that didn't seem to bother Rehaan. At the end of our hike, when Kamalini and I were both absolutely exhausted, Rehaan looked like he could have started running a marathon! During our hike, we also got to see cows and goats. The cows had their quintessential Swiss cow-bells. It was a lovely sight, and the sound of the cow-bells was music to the ears!

Sleighs, Schellen Ursli Museum

The book of Schellen Ursli,
Schellen Ursli Museum

Schellen Ursli Weg

Scenic views along Schellen Ursli Weg

Bridge, Schellen Ursli Weg

Goats

What a wonderfully relaxed visit it was! And what beauty we were surrounded by! We left Guarda with huge smiles on our faces, and memories to last a lifetime - memories of scenic mountains, pristine greenery, pretty architecture, a lovely little church, delicious Swiss food, friendly people, a charming apartment we loved staying in, and some amazing family-time together!