By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Karishma Das Nongkhlaw, daughter of Joydeep Das and Marybel Nongkhlaw, passed away on April 7 after a heroic battle against cancer, at the tender age of 18 years.
Karishma was detected with cancer in April 2012 while studying at the Asian School, Dehradun and underwent treatment for 11 months in Mumbai.
Part of the Shillong Chamber Choir since 2006, she debuted for the Choir in 2008 while performing for A P J Abdul Kalam (the then president of India). She went on to perform several more times including at Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2009. Her last and most memorable performance for the Choir, while still getting treated in the last stages of the disease, was in Mumbai in March, 2013, a testament to both her love of music and the resilience with which she faced life.
Karishma is survived by her parents and her sister Chandrika Das Nongkhlaw.