The first time I saw Chandra was at our induction day as new members of staff at the School of Oriental and African Studies in 2010. It was chaos, and she was on the phone sorting it out with an intoxicating combination of patient tone and dramatic facial subtext. I was smitten.
I have got so much from reading the other testimonials on this site—several times actually—and getting a deeper hint of all the different types of relationships that Chandra nurtured across space and time.
I know that the future holds endless instances of me passing through St Pancras Station, and realising that it will never again be to meet her; receiving a text and knowing it will never again be from her, or include a photo of her hotel breakfast so that I can play guess the mysterious food item; and teaching research methods while, rather than laughing with easy delight as I explain why Chandra is my research ethics hero, a lump forms in my throat and tears well in my eyes.
I also know that I’m going to continue to check my decisions against what Chandra would think for the rest of my life.
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Amanda Perry-Kessaris