On Tuesday the UW-Madison community, The Daily Cardinal and countless friends and family lost an incredible individual. Neha Suri, a senior majoring in journalism and political science, passed away on that day after bravely fighting a case of bacterial meningitis. She was surrounded by her friends and family and passed peacefully without pain.
Neha worked for The Daily Cardinal throughout her college career, and words cannot express how incredibly heartbroken so many of us on staff were to learn of her struggle. She wrote for numerous departments, including Arts and Campus News, and worked as a copy editor.
But it would be a disservice to simply say that those were the only parts of the paper she touched in her remarkable way, as someone so filled with warmth, kindness and curiosity is felt across departments and desks, building long-lasting friendships that continue today. She was a person who drew people to her with her easy, bright smile and someone who continually brought a positive, endearing perspective to the office.
I remember very distinctly coming to the copy desk as state editor and seeing that Neha had marked up one of my articles. But instead of trying to browbeat or berate me with those edits, I was always amazed to see how deftly and easily Neha was able to communicate with people. She had a rare gift of being able to disagree with someone but still give them respect and treat them with genuine human dignity.
It has been inspiring to watch the outpouring of support showed for Neha all over campus. At her memorial service Wednesday it was clear just how many people she has touched, all of whom will carry her memory with them for the rest of their lives. Particular mention must be made of a community of friends that were there for Neha the most this past week, all of whom are connected in some way to her house on Bassett Street. This group of generous and caring young men and women has shown the sort of strength of character that makes people proud to be Badgers, and I consider myself incredibly lucky and humbled to count them among my friends. The sort of bonds that they have shown, bonds that are identical to family ties in all but blood, are a testament to the way Neha surrounded herself with people who lift a person up when real challenges strike.
Throughout these past few days I have been reminded of a portion of the poem ""Faint Music"" by Robert Hass, one about a man beset with grief and loss that is reprinted below. I cannot hope to describe what so many people have been feeling these past few days, but after hearing the songs played at Neha's memorial, watching as the lyrics washed over people and gave them some measure of peace, I hope that it helps. Neha, we miss you, and I know we will see you again one day.
I had the idea that the world's so full of pain
It must sometimes make a kind of singing.
And that the sequence helps, as much as order helps—
First an ego, and then pain, and then the singing.
