As scores of people gathered at the Lodhi Road crematorium on Sunday morning to bid a final farewell to Sabina Sehgal Saikia, the noted food critic and consulting editor for The Times of India, family members and friends alike broke down when the scribe's body was consigned to flames. Sabina was trapped on the 6th floor of Taj Hotel during the Mumbai terror siege and her body was recovered on Saturday. Her body was flown down to the Capital in the evening.
Sabina's cremation was attended by hundreds of people, including close friends from the journalist fraternity, noted artists, theatre personalities, politicians and people from the world of fashion.
Chief minister Sheila Dikshit, who had also come to pay her respects, told Times City: "I knew Sabina personally, and she was a bundle of joy and energy. Her death is a great loss for both the journalistic world and for us.''
Sabina's husband Santanu and brother Nikhil revealed that her end was instantaneous and she had not suffered in her last moments. "We are grateful to the NSG for the brilliant operation they carried out. Even though Sabina is no longer with us, we are happy for those who survived,'' said Nikhil.
Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and his wife Subhalaxmi, who had a long association with the journalist, couldn't hold back their tears, describing Sabina as a family member. "This is a personal loss for us. We knew her since she was in college and an active member of the Spic Macay. She was extremely popular in the performing arts community and was a talented singer herself,'' said Khan. His wife Subhalakshmi, who Sabina referred to as "didi", broke down as she recalled the last time Sabina had gone to their home for lunch. "She got us a book and spent a lot of time with us that day,'' she said.
Bharatnatyam dancer Sonal Mansingh also couldn't hold back her emotions as she recollected her association with Sabina. "She was larger than life... so giving and caring. Sabina had a lot of respect for artists and musicians and her death is a huge loss for us,'' she said.
Actor Nandita Das described Sabina as a "bold and strong journalist''. She said: "This incident has hit us hard as she was `one of us'. This is not the time to express just anger. Sabina would definitely be more peaceful now if we used this incident to look deeper within us and see why such things are happening.''
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