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We only realise the value of life when it’s taken away. But we often only appreciate it when we are faced with hard situations.

This week we have a conversation about death, something we often don’t do within our community, and the grieving process through the perspective of a husband who has lost his wife to cancer. The harshness of the reality is only curbed with our guest’s quest to find deeper purpose through charitable endeavours.

This week we are joined by senior Rotarian Sree Vallipuram, as we plunge into the human experience of being him at the one year death anniversary of his beloved wife.

The discussion is difficult although sometimes masked with laughter; a social lubricant to hide the tears that were at the tip of the conversation. To be honest, it was a difficult discussion to record because it posed deeper questions about the meaning of marriage and looking at life through an inevitable lens, rather than burying your head in the sand. Equally, in the brutality of this conversation there is a liberating force, something I’m sure you will discover when you listen in.

The story of Sree and his wife is one that often graces Bollywood screens; a love story between a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl from different lands and meeting in the cold streets of London, much to the dislike of their parents. The rest as they say, is history.

If you like what we do, want to share a story, or support our work, please visit www.globalindianseries.

About Sree Vallipuram:
Sree Vallipuram ws born in Singapore when it was still a state within Malaya. In 1965, Singapore received its independence from Malaysia. He was the eldest of four children who grew up in Singapore. He completed his post secondary education before joining the Singapore Armed Forces to complete his National Service. He completed two and a half years of military service and then joined the Singapore University to complete his degree. It later became the National University of Singapore. Sree then joined Essex University in England to complete his Masters degree. He met his wife Anar at Essex University. They married in 1989 and have two daughters. Both his daughters graduated at UCL in London and are leading independent lives.

Sree worked at the Commonwealth Secretariat for over 15 years and his stint at this international organisation had a great positive impact on his professional life. He is also a Rotarian and remains a member of the Rotary Club of Westminster West which he joined in 1995.

In September 2020, after an eleven year battle with cancer, Anar passed away at home. This devasted Sree and for many months, he was unable to talk about his loss. He remained strong for his daughters and today, at the first Anniversary of his beloved wife’s passing, he agreed to tell his story when approached by Rajan Nazran.

About the Global Indian Series:
My name is Rajan Nazran Chief explorer for the Global Indian Series, the official platform for people of Indian origin (PIO), because let’s face it, we are everywhere!

For almost 15 years we have travelled across the globe covering 58 countries to date whilst exploring the kaleidoscope of our remarkable 50 shades of brown community.

Voyaging to the edges of the Amazon, facing Ebola in West Africa, being held hostage in Eastern Europe, tapping rubber in Malaysia, drinking chai with Heads of State and sharing laughter with local fishermen – I have been there, looking for us!

Our purpose is simple, to build a living encyclopaedia of the human experience of the community and a safe mooring ground for open discussions, whether you are an NRI, Indian Diaspora, person of Indian origin (PIO) or a fan of South Asian anthropology, what we do is bring people and communities together.

We do this by plunging into the human experience of being a person of Indian origin (PIO), taking a second look at the countries we now call home and tackling the conversations we need to know more about.

Through our range of award-winning original content (print, podcasts, events and TV) and fascinating discussions, our impactful stories and platforms have spearheaded national and international conversations that have brought people together.

Our work is featured in global brands including The Indian Express through to the CNBC network.

How to get involved:

Interested in getting involved in building the world’s largest living encyclopedia on the community? Whether you want to become a patron, buy us a chai in a new location or have your story shown, simply get in touch via our website, we would love to hear from you. www.globalindianseries.com

Social media:You can reach Rajan via

Instagram: @rajannazran

Linkedin: RajanNazran

YouTube: Global Indian Series

Episode: 78

Presenter – Rajan Nazran

Producer –Global Indian Series/NazranRoth

Guest – Sree Vallipuram

Art Design – Vanisha Patel

Special thank you to TAIZU for the music

Other podcasts you may like:If you liked this podcast, you may enjoy the following:

https://globalindianseries.com/two-weeks-left-to-live-journey-through-cancer/

https://globalindianseries.com/ep34-the-8000-mile-journey-for-custody/

https://globalindianseries.com/judged-by-autism-a-fathers-journey/

Are you a global Indian that needs to go global? You may be interested in our articles on citizenship by investment and global residency options, including Golden via planning through to the leading funds to consider. It’s a definitive guide for all global Indians to read on what you need to know and what you must avoid when looking to participate in investment migration and golden visa planning.

We produce content that inspires purpose, passion, and community. If you like what we do, please do share, like, subscribe and comment. It helps massively with online algorithms.

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Support change: A little favour to ask-We believe true freedom is to be able to act without fear or favour and that identity is not a “brand” to be abused, politicized, or reduced for personal gain. As Global Indians, the need to work together is greater now than ever before.  If we want to see real change, we need to create a better society for all, tackle injustice and plunge into the many aspects of what the human experience truly offers.The Global Indian Series has been built to be a platform of integrity, fairness and to remain fiercely independent of political influence. We are the first in the world to connect with every echelon of society with all human voices being treated equally.  We are the first to have travelled physically to locations far and wide, often putting our own lives on the line to bring forward stories that deserve to be told.  Whether it’s through our Podcast that delves into the human experience behind identity, our articles and features that cover key events we need to know, or live based events that tackle topical discussions, we have been there to support a better community and planet.Despite the high costs and time needed to maintain our work, we continue, because we know our work has helped more people understand what is happening within the communities across our planet, why it matters, and how, together, we can demand progress.  We challenge head-on, the silent divisions that have crept into our collective consciousness and how to tackle key issues that often go neglected in mainstream media.How you can help:Please share our work: By collaborating with others who share our values, our combined voices make change, with many more becoming inspired to take meaningful action.Subscribe to the platform:Many from across our community have decided to subscribe to our platform. It helps us grow which in turns attracts like-minded supporters. If you have not already, we would appreciate you subscribing to our newsletters and following our social media accounts. It is free and supports our journey.