A Tribute to Aparajita Sharma, a Dear Friend and Artist

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”
— Anonymous

These words sum up my relationship with Aparajita. All those who had the good fortune of knowing her would agree that wherever she went she only spread love. As we trudge along and get busy in the web of life, the scar of Aparajita’s unexpected passing away will take a long time to heal. It is never easy to write about a dear friend, colleague and comrade who is no more and when it comes to Aparajita, words always fall short.

We joined Miranda House almost at the same time and our initial interactions were limited only to warm greetings in the corridors. Her ever jovial spirit and empathy for the distressed always made her stand out in the crowd. My memories of Aparajita go back to the days when I had gone on a long leave. Among the very few people who would genuinely reach out during my absence was Aparajita. It often surprised me and I wondered how someone who hardly shared any space with me beyond the corridors could even bother to find out about my well being. I did not know then that Aparajita was always there for everyone in her ‘absent’ presence.

Once I resumed duties, she was one of the first to ask how it felt to return to the classroom and then we would catch up more often in the Nescafe lawns under the bottlebrush and the staff lounge. Our conversations would never stretch beyond a couple of minutes. Those brief conversations about our dismay at the fast-changing political atmosphere as well as the education policies would always be peppered with humour which in the later years cemented our solidarity. Each encounter with her would leave me with a little more admiration for her – she was witty, outspoken, had deep compassion and immense respect for the marginalised.

I connected with her more freely outside the red-bricked walls. I found that she showered her love unconditionally on all. I owe much to Aparajita, who instilled interest and love for Hindi in my child. During one of our conversations, I had mentioned only in passing that I was searching for Hindi magazines for children and there she was the very next day with her own (still sealed) copies of Pluto and Cycle. She had brought those for my child and ensured that I took them, despite my repeated refusal. Since that day, she continued sharing significant works meant for children in Hindi.

Her generosity was not meant exclusively for those she knew. A few months ago, I had put in a request on social media for an old smartphone for a girl who will be appearing for her board examinations. For months, she was unable to attend online classes and access materials shared on the school group. Her family could not even afford a basic phone. I hoped that some kind soul would come forward. Within five minutes, I received a message from Aparajita saying she had arranged for one and that the girl should not worry. When the box arrived a week later, it was an expensive and almost unused phone! That is how big Aparajita was in her short yet meaningful life – always giving hope to those who needed it the most in the worst of times. Her sudden passing away is not only a loss for her family, friends, students and Miranda House but also for children who looked up to her for love, encouragement and inspiration.

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Over the years, I realised that Aparajita was not only a popular teacher and a friend to her students but also a brilliant artist and illustrator. Her immortal creation ‘Albeli’ was a reflection of Aparajita’s sharp intellect and indomitable spirit. Though Albeli – a feisty young woman accompanied by her all weather companion ‘lalmunia’ (red finch) – was known for being vocal about the struggles, rights and empowerment of women, she was not only a voice of ‘every woman’ but  ‘everyone’.

Through her cleverly crafted and pithy captions, incisive one-liners, speech and thought bubbles (of ‘Albeli’) Aparajita took on the world around us. She stirred our often dormant conscience and reminded us that azadi (liberty) and sanjhedari (partnership) are foundations of a strong, egalitarian and progressive society. Taken together, her illustrations revealed her firm belief in values of freedom, justice, equality and equity.

In her drawings, one would find a soul who fearlessly stood with her head held high in the face of increasing injustice perpetrated against women, students and the needy. Her illustrations repeatedly emphasised the importance of women’s education and that it is a powerful weapon in their struggles against patriarchal oppression.

Whenever in dilemma, Albeli would be thinking about or conversing with Gandhiji. During those poignant moments, Albeli’s troubled soul would seek solace in Gandhian values of truth, non-violence and independence.

In her sketches, one would often come across the tricolour, the chakra or the constitution symbolising the concerns, hopes and aspirations of the people of India.

Despite all odds and tribulations Albeli arrived almost every day on Aparajita’s Facebook page with spontaneous and evocative messages celebrating small joys of everyday life, friendships, festivals, or challenging and breaking all those normative shackles which restrain the autonomy of those left behind – be it women, the migrant workers during the pandemic or the protesting farmers. ‘Albeli’, like her creator, was indeed a dissenting voice without ever being aggressive or judgmental.

The language (both visual and text) Aparajita used in the illustrations was simple yet powerful which demystified ideas of emancipation, rights and modernity and appealed to all irrespective of their social location and linguistic abilities. It was Aparajita’s use of the vernacular which gave a new lease of life and added a new dimension to Hindi as a medium of communication and expression. She strongly believed that the diversity of India’s culture, way of life and pluralism are best captured in the vernacular languages.

Her (now popular) ‘Himojis’ (chat stickers/emoticons in Hindi) were born out of such a thought. It is ironic that the last ‘Himoji’ that she shared with me was in the wee hours of the morning on that fateful day; in it two cheerful saree clad women are seen celebrating ‘Bijoya Dashami’. No wonder Aparajita remains invincible even in her death and what stays etched in our hearts are her zest for life and unconquerable spirit.

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Aparajita loved experimenting with visual text/language and her latest addition to her oeuvre was ‘Chitrageet’. Created during the pandemic, the ‘Chitrageet’ series combined illustrations with soulful songs (which were added only after she made the sketches and not vice versa). Verging on the ‘romantic’, these illustrations had a ‘dream-like’ quality depicting various hues of human emotions and moods. Unlike her earlier lesser-known ‘Chinia’ and much loved ‘Albeli’, the women characters in ‘Chitrageet’ remain unnamed; to put it in Aparajita’s words they could be any woman and every woman, and, the ‘name’ was entirely dependent on the choice and perspective of the beholder.

The manner in which Aparajita was exploring and playing with various forms of art and Hindi language in her works had all the sparks of taking Hindi to greater heights, enriching it and adding a touch of modernity to it. She was perhaps one of the most original and emerging voices in the arena of Hindi, and because of her untimely demise, Hindi too is poorer today.

Life for Aparajita was a gift and she touched countless hearts in the years that she lived. It is true that one cannot imagine returning to the corridors of Miranda House without catching a glimpse of Aparajita passing by with her bright jhola and a colourful hair-pin sticking out. It would always be winter without her illimitable energy, generosity, love and warmth. However, as long as we remain resilient in the face of bigotry and tyranny, and continue to fight for the rights and dignity of all, the hope of spring that she dreamt of lives on.

Aparajita Sharma was an associate professor at the Department of Hindi, Miranda House, University of Delhi. Sharma passed away on October 15, 2021.

Devjani Ray teaches at the English Department, Miranda House, University of Delhi.