Friend recalls racer Ashwin as most caring person

While the world saw Ashwin Sundar as a popular racer, for me, he was a friend, philosopher and guide. More importantly, he was family. I vividly recall the first time we met — predictably — on the race track, almost a decade ago. He was one of the fastest drivers. I showed him some of the pictures I had clicked during the race and we hit it off instantly. The acquaintance quickly grew into a deep friendship, as Ashwin became “my muse”. He loved being photographed and I enjoyed experimenting with different styles and concepts. 

As a racer, Ashwin was passionate about his cars and getting quirky stickers for his five mean machines, all of which ended with 9555. After embellishing his cars with the latest stickers, we would drive them out for shoots. Our first ‘trip’ was to Adyar Bridge near Malar Hospital on a chilly evening. I still remember the sharp nip in the air, as he calmly posed with his car. He always treasured these pictures. 

The fun-loving boy was also a big prankster, pouncing on any opportunity to tease his friends. He would suddenly stop the car in the middle of a deserted street in Besant Nagar at night and pretend that the there was a problem with the vehicle. Unsuspecting friends usually got off. Then, he would make scary sounds and point randomly at the dark, pretending to be frightened at something he had spotted. Most people would be spooked, until he laughed out loud! He was also a movie buff and loved Ajith’s films in particular. 

Cars and bikes apart, Ashwin loved food! He loved chicken curry and anything with paneer! He joked with his friends that one day, his love for food, would “turn him into a fat chicken”. I enviously wondered how he could be so fit, yet indulge in his love for food. The secret was an utmost dedication to his fitness regime. Each of his cars had a gym bag, filled with sachets of protein drink powder. 

It was also at the gym that he met his wife Niveditha, who became the centre of his life! A common friend introduced them and they shared an instant chemistry. Theirs was a dream wedding, with two receptions in Chennai and two in Colombo, attended by around 4,000 guests. After the wedding, he gifted his wife an A-Class Mercedes Benz, so she could commute comfortable to Sri Ramachandra Medical College, where she was a house surgeon. Ashwin and Niveditha were so madly in love with each other that they left this world together, hand-in-hand. 

I have never met anyone who was more caring than Ashwin. For him, his family and his friends were his world. He would do anything for them, walk any distance, just to see his loved ones’ smile. This, at times, meant he had to compromise, but he did it, winning everyone’s hearts. 

It can only be an ironic twist of fate that Ashwin and Niveditha expired in a car crash. Everyone who knew Ashwin, knew that he was a safe driver. His words ‘Enna maathiri drive pannatheenga’ (Don’t drive like me) still echo in my ears. He always vouched for driving safe and slow and dissuaded his friends from using others’ vehicles. A week after the accident, it still feels unreal that I would never get to see Ashwin’s smiling face or hear his warm greetings again. The world has lost a talented racer. I have lost my dearest friend!

My sister is the sweetest sibling any brother could hope for! Niveditha was a go-getter, an A-grade student, right from her school days! She was an all-rounder, who loved extra-curricular activities. She was a sociable person. Most of the people she met would become her friends in a short time, as they often took an instant liking towards her! 

Akka loved reading books and playing chess. She was also an avid traveller, who fell in love with Singapore’s multi-cultural cosmopolitanism. She was a foodie too. Many a time, our house would be filled with aromas of delectable cakes and other goodies that she would have baked, which she would religiously post on her blog and on Instagram. Her favourite dish, however, was the simple upma, prepared lovingly by Ashwin’s mother. 

For all of us, Bava (as I call Ashwin) and Akka’s love story was something straight out of a fairy tale. They met at the gym and instantly liked each other. I remember that Ashwin had asked my sister out on Valentine’s Day in 2011. She was over the moon and was so happy. There was no looking back after that. 

She introduced me to Ashwin over a dinner. I liked him for what he was —  well, at my age, I was obviously excited to have a racer in the family. I saw Ashwin’s race videos on YouTube. When my sister broke the news of her decision to get married to Ashwin to the family, our father had only condition — that she should finish her studies before getting married. That was how much we loved her. Ashwin’s charm, manners, honesty and smile had bowled us over. Ashwin and akka were the most romantic couple in the world! Even in tragedy, they were together — holding hands, faces turned towards each other, in their last moments before they left this world in unison. It shows that their love is immortal. 

It hurts beyond imagination to come to terms with the fact that they are no more. A piece of our lives has been ripped apart, cruelly. The trauma is still there as two of the brightest, talented and loving people were taken away from us. The pain of their loss will continue to haunt us for the rest of our lives.