Matterhorn

Even the birds at Matterhorn, knew that Hari was no more.

Back in Hyderabad, the media made a spectacle of the event, traumatising family and friends alike, making it very public - but this particular piece from The Hindu, I thought was very moving.

Silent Valley to Shillong; birds to butterflies; trains to planes; their passions were the same, their thoughts were the same. Bonded by similarity, attracted because of their distinct individualities, these two youngsters had everything they could ask for. But fate had something else in store for them. Roshni Mukherjee and Hari Shankar-married less than a year ago, continue to be in the 'missing' list issued by South Central Railway after the Gautami Express fire accident-were photography enthusiasts. "Lover of all things fluttery," Hari described himself as someone who had a soft corner for snakes. Roshni describes travelling as being second nature to her and her specialisation was in photographing butterflies and dragonflies. Avid wildlife aficionados, the couple armed with the latest photographic equipment have travelled extensively to capture nature in their lens. A fan of American Literature and Indian cinema, 'Josh' as Roshni was aptly called, has been described by her friends as someone who was fun to be with. "She was the life of any conversation and would just know how to cheer you up," says a friend. "I have never seen anyone as passionate about environment as Hari was," says his colleague. For the family and friends, the loss has been shocking and intangible. A website http://www.nerdybirders.com/ www.nerdybirders.com run by the couple and their friend Ashok remains a bird lover's favourite browsing spot. Ashok, who was also on Gautami Express, had managed to jump out of the burning coach and save himself. For now, the website's guestbook is filled with messages from friends and others praying for a miracle to see them alive. The couple were on Orkut too. A scrap by Roshni to Hari goes like this: "There's a time for feeling as good as we can, The time is now and there's no stopping us, There's a time for living as high as we can, Behind us you will only see our dust". ('Making Memories' by Rush). These words best describe the lives of these spirited youngsters cut short by a gruesome incident.