Scripted with Determination

His father says they got a confirmation of the book going to print seven days after Harshvardhan passed away. “It felt very different. We were mourning his death,but on the other side it also felt that he would stay alive through the book. Strangely enough,the fact that his book would be a novel in print was a catharsis of sorts for us as a family,” he says.

The delay in the publication of the book,Pande says,was because of the timing of the confirmation letter. “It came when the financial year had just started. Even the publishers were busy and the correspondence thereafter took a lot of time to get things moving. We received the first copy only a few days ago,” he adds.

Harshvardhan,as his mother Smita remembers,was always trying out things. “When he studied at St Vincent’s and later on at College of Engineering Pune,there was a spark about him that refused to die down. His book Hiccups is a love story,which he penned when he was working as a software engineer. We all knew he wrote well but one fine day he walked up to his father and asked,’I have written this book will you read it for me?’. Not only was he sure about writing a novel,but he completed it and now is even getting it published,” she says.

Smita remembers the time when Harshvardhan was born and she was told that he would not be able to stand or walk and there were more problems. “We were ok with it. He underwent 14 surgeries and yet had the guts to stand up and smile and even do everything that he really wanted,” she adds.

His parents lovingly carry along with them a huge art book with certificates that Harshvardhan won,newspaper clippings about him and greeting cards that people gave him. “In more than one way life has come a full circle for us and our older son Digvijay,who adored Harshvardhan. He loved to laugh and even make others laugh. The book is a fitting tribute to his memory and his idea of living every moment to the fullest,” says Pande.