Chitra Parayath, one of Lokvani’s founding members and beloved of many Lokvani readers passed away in a road accident in the Andaman and Nicobar islands on April 18th, 2005.

Chitra spent much of her childhood in the Andaman Islands. She was very moved by the Tsunami disaster and her visit to the island was part a trip down memory lane and part an effort to understand the needs of the region and write on them.

Since 2001, from the inception of Lokvani as one of its founders, Chitra has been an integral part of this community venture, involving herself in its design, content, marketing, editing and writing on every topic, most notably its lead stories.  Chitra, always insisted that every newsletter should offer a wide range of topics for the reader to explore his or her interest. She wrote on a wide range of topics and was as at home interviewing celebrities like Aishwarya Rai as she was, dissecting the controversial stance of politicians.

Along with her  intelligence and honesty, Chitra combined her writing with shots of pointed humor and a love of words.  Her characteristic irreverence in her articles invited comment, provocation and inspiration from the reader. Chitra’s widely read and popular columns have included interviews,  film reviews, her love of music reflected in her music reviews and her sense of humor in the jokes and humor articles. Her popular column “Bollywood Baatein” scrupulously brought out the news of what was happening in the tinsel world. Whether it was her commitment to helping the local community get a heads on with their fledgling business, or boosting the sales of events through media coverage, she did what came out best out of her pen - her writing: which was always straightforward, informative and to the point.

Chitra’s contributions extend well beyond the voice of Lokvani. As the secretary of the India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB), she worked diligently to put together the Independence Day and Republic Day events that have drawn record crowds. As a free- lance writer she contributed to several leading newspapers including, India Abroad, India Currents, Little India , the Lexington Minuteman and others.

Chitra touched many with her kindness. She had a knack of making everyone feel special. Her love and dedication to her family was foremost, her friendships strong and loyal, her service to the community unquestionable. And she did it all with grace, humor, and a zest for life.

Chitra is survived by  her husband Vinod Muralidhar, son Sidharth and daughter Nivedita.

We at Lokvani will grieve for a void she has left that is so hard to fill.

The Lokvani Team
(Ranjani Saigal, Nirmala Garimella, Anil Saigal, and Anoop Kumar)

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