I have been reflecting on how fortunate I am to have had Savita as a part of my life. Her sweet voice has been in my head so much in these last weeks. Her kindness, grace and beauty (within and without) touched all of us who were able to share in her friendship. In the last year or so, we had some fortuitous, last-minute gatherings that I absolutely cherish. From happy hours at Community Tap, to sitting at the top of our driveway hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. That was a particularly special night, quietly enjoying the night sky, and soft music from John. I also admired Savita's strength and courage to stand up for what was right. I loved it when she, Carmella Epright and I did a short bit in the Vagina Monologues. I looked up to her when she chose to visibly object to President George W. Bush's speech at Furman's commencement ceremony. She leaves us with many fond memories, and part of her will live on through her precious daughters Anjali, Mira and Leila and loving husband John.

I met Savita at UU World of Children where our children were in pre-school. I noticed, of course how beautiful Savita was, but even more, her ease. She seemed to have an ease with parenting that I did not. As I got to know Savita, she was always willing to listen, to share and to help through the years. We had several talks about both kids college plans- my concerns and hopes for them. She read many an entrance essay for them. I remember all of that fondly and the knowledge and grace she shared with me. Love to you all.

Waiting for live stream

I was unabel to connect to the LiveStream. Sending my sincerest condolences.

I am so disappointed that I was unable to see the livestream of Savita's service. I think there must have been a technical difficulty. I will celebrate my beautiful friend in my own way tonight and think of all the memories I shared with her. I hope the service was as beautiful as she was - sending lots of love to all of you!

I would like to share a bit on the impact that Dr. Nair has had on my life:

Savita was quite possibly the primary influence for me to launch my first business. Thanks in large part to her support and encouragement, I booked a one-way flight to Ahmedabad, scheduled for departure just two days following my '09 Furman graduation. At the time, I had known just one person in India and had no previous arrangements, accommodation, or even a job interview. This “trip” lasted three and a half years in India, and many more years in many other places.

Savita was one of the very few people that had genuinely taken her time to nurture my idea for a more equitable global trade (and finance) model; an idea that had originated from a final term paper for her South Asian history class.

Over the years, especially throughout the grueling early years, I have quietly recalled her support at Furman. I reminisce now that her patience, her brilliance, and her careful guidance had become a significant North Star that had helped me to fight on when there was little hope left. Today, I am extremely proud to share that the organization is alive and growing, with thousands of at-risk families spanning three continents benefitting from an idea that was, in essence, a Savita Nair term paper.

I regretfully confess that I’ve been distant. I have wondered if she would have had any recollection of me-a quiet, average student- or have any idea of the impact that she had left on my life and those that we serve. I would have loved to reconnect, to share our accomplishments that I believe have helped many people, to finally state my immense gratitude, to talk about the joys of life, of parenthood, and of paying it forward…

It pains me to think that we won’t have that opportunity in this lifetime, but it helps to finally write this message to you. You’ve been a unique guiding Light for me, one that has been truly life changing.

We intend to keep your Light bright in our corners of this world, and to share your legacy of love and humanity with others.

Thank you, Savita.