>> I was never one of those lucky enough to be taught by the late Shirin Darasha, neither did I send my child to her school, but I was part of the first Buddhist meditation workshop she attended many moons ago (which I am told led to her lifelong interest in the subject) at a mutual friend’s home.

So recently, when I read columnist blogger and photographer Gautam Patel’s moving tribute to her on her demise I was reminded of my encounter with her: she was — like all extraordinary people — a wonderful mix of contradictions: powerful and profound and child-like and unafraid to express vulnerability.