Journalism of Courage
Pimpri-Chinchwad on Monday lost one of its brightest stars. Fifteen-year-old Shruti Sagvekar,who had secured distinction in SSC despite suffering from a life-threatening disease,passed away in the wee hours. A student of D Y Patil School,Pimpri,she is survived by her parents,a sister and brother.
The Sagvekars,who stay at Sant Tukaram Nagar close to YCM hospital,left no stone unturned to save their daughter. Shrutis father,Ravikant Sagvekar,a teacher at Indira College,Talegaon,spent lakhs on her treatment. For months,Shruti had to be in intensive care unit.
On Monday,when her body was brought home,several family friends,relatives,class-mates,teachers and principal of D Y Patil School,Mrudula Mahajan,were present at her residence. I have lost my brilliant child, said Ravikant. Shrutis sister,Swati,broke down as the ambulance arrived. She was okay two days ago,but on Sunday,her condition deteriorated, said Swati.
On Monday,Newsline had highlighted how Shruti battled life-threatening disease to secure distinction in SSC. Four years ago,Shruti was detected with a rare disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE),a chronic autoimmune disorder.
Her close friends Sadaf,Kajal,Pechiammal and Pratiksha were proud of her achievement and cherish the fact that she beat all of them in terms of scores.
Shruti,they recalled,was the studious kind. She was interested in studies and doing well in life, said Sadaf.
We shared the same bench,but she was quiet and peaceful. We never quarrelled, said Pratiksha.
