Sivan, the father of Plus Two student Varsha and her sister Class 8 student Shivani, died six months ago. The loss impacted their mother, Saritha, more than anyone else. It was Sivan who had discovered Saritha’s exceptional talent for mimicry. He had expressed his desire for her to teach their children mimicry, but for various reasons, it got delayed.
When Sivan passed away, the only thing the children asked of their mother was: “You must teach us mimicry, like how father wanted.” Yesterday, when Varsha won an A grade in the Higher Secondary mimicry competition and Shivani secured an A grade in the High School category, Saritha felt as though Sivan was rejoicing from another world.
“Mother, don’t be sad... Father is always with us,” the children reassured Saritha. She credits her children for inspiring her to teach mimicry at the sub-district level. Saritha, who works at Central University, also performs mimicry alongside her job. The family hails from Maloth, a border village between Kasaragod and Karnataka. Varsha studies at BARHSS in Kasaragod, while Shivani attends the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School. Varsha and Shivani have a younger sister- three-year-old Nayomika.