I first met Saru, 5 years ago in her TA101 program. I recall her as a larger-than-life personality, sitting in her chair and conducting the TA101 with expertise and empathy while ensuring everyone was participating and learning. What I remember particularly is the bear hug I got from Saru. I met her at the Kochi conference and again at the MLL in Coimbatore. Both times she asked me, “How is my saree?” and I was in awe of her ready laugh and personality.

How does one write about losing a person like Saru! Saru, one of the most beloved and respected transactional analysts in the Indian TA community, left for her heavenly abode on 25th March 2021. The SAATA TA community mourns her passing. At the same time, we are grateful for and celebrate all that Saru has generously given to our community and the wider world. We send our condolences to her family and friends and, indeed, to the entire TA community, who loved and appreciated her work.

SAATA loses a luminary and we thought it is befitting to remember Saru as the light and sunshine that she was in our newsletter. In the homepage of this issue, you will find an official tribute to Saru, with details about her life in and beyond TA written by our SAATA President, Ragini Rao. There is also a fond remembrance from our past president, Susan George. We received overwhelming response to our requests of sharing remembrances from her friends, Indian TA trainers, and her family who recall her as a trainer, multi-talented presenter, go-getter, a friend, colleague, and a mentor. We have done our best to include all the entries we received. We want to take a moment and acknowledge, in particular, her contribution to the TA community in India, Bangladesh, and Iran.

SAATA had a busy year with MLL conducted virtually and everyone benefitting by joining from the comfort of home. We are celebrating Gunjan clearing her CTA exam, 30 TA diplomas, and a Service Award to Rema.

Saru’s trainees created a beautiful book called SARUisms, which is a compilation of Saru’s popular sayings. This has been made downloadable in SAATA newsletter as a gift from the creative team and from Saru to each one of us.

SAATA community wishes “Eid Mubarak” to everyone and I am told that iftar spread at Saru’s house is a memory a lot of her trainees, friends, and colleagues cherish. I have taken a cue from Saru’s generosity and I believe that opening my heart to celebrate people for who they are is the biggest gift.

The SAATA and the Indian TA community would not be what it is today without Saru’s contributions, and we are grateful for all she gave and who she was. She will be greatly missed.

Copyright Policy

Please note that all articles published in the SAATA newsletter are copyright [©] to the authors. They can be
reproduced elsewhere, provided the following information is included and a note is added about
reproduction:

© Year, Author Name(s), Title of article, in SAATA Newsletter, Vol ? Issue ? Month of issue — reproduced with permission

e.g. © 2019 Katawa, Kiran Overthinking, Thinking or Underthinking? in SAATA Newsletter, Vol 3, Issue 2, April — reproduced with permission

Disclaimer
SAATA is the nodal body of South Asia for networking and developing professional competencies in Transactional Analysis. The purpose of the SAATA Newsletter is to share relevant TA news with members and invite content in various forms (text, images, video, audio) that enhances the community’s collective TA expertise. Views expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of SAATA.