Bengaluru metro pillar collapse: Tejaswini leaves behind a legacy of warmth and kindness

Flat D-146 in Sankalp Manor of DS Max Apartment on Horamavu-Kalkere Main Road, where Lohit Kumar V Sulakhe and his wife Tejaswini and children Vismitha and Vihan lived, looked deserted. Neighbours, huddled in groups when DH reporters visited the spot, expressed shock and anguish at losing a friend (Tejaswini) with whom they would chat almost every evening.

Many of the neighbours described the couple, especially Tejaswini, as a cheerful and a warm person. Their children, twins, aged two years would regularly play in the corridor on the first floor of Block D where they lived. The corridors would come alive after 11 pm every night with their lively laughter and screams.

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Richa Mishra, Tejaswini's immediate neighbour, told DH, “The couple had twins and they lived with their in-laws. They spoke Telugu at home and lived in a newly constructed apartment. Our families were very close; we couldn't meet often because of the different working hours. She was a good human being.”

Lavita, another neighbour, said that she first met Tejaswini when she went to invite them for their house warming ceremony. “Tejaswini was a warm person. We always spoke about our children. The whole family attended our house warming ceremony and since then we have been good friends,” said Lavita.

Another neighbour, Haseena, said her children, though much older, enjoyed spending time and playing with Tejaswini's kids. "Tejaswini would effortlessly balance work, home and look after her kids. Though she lived with her in-laws, she made sure that she spent quality time with the children and would regularly bring them down to the play area in the apartment. The family shifted to the apartment in the month of November.”