He took his life last week, apparently on his birthday. A week after the summer fellowship ended. None of us knew why.
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My first impression of Sumedh was one of intimation. In a training session during the first week of the fellowship, I, Sumedh, and another fellow were in the same group trying to work out a problem. At one point the team was stuck, and I was struggling to follow the discussion he was having with another teammate. I could tell his command of the subject was way beyond me. He said that there was something wrong with the solution that was given, and waited to talk to the presenter afterward trying to figure out why the solution was the way it was. His insistence made me feel uneasy but the genuineness was undeniable. I was ashamed of myself.
We spent a whole day together with 2 other DSSGer on the scavenger hunt. He had a great laugh when I told him the joke about the revolving door, of which I stole from Lin. It was the kind of laughter that put you at ease. I went on telling him about my research, and he was genuinely interested — not like the “oh it sounds really interesting” type of response I typically get from talking about my own research. He listened carefully and asked thoughtful questions. I was touched.
In another gathering in unit 426 early in the summer, a couple of us stayed late and just chatted about random topics: Donald Trump, giraffes, number theory …etc. He was the life of the discussion. And then at one point, he halted and asked the group: “Can I tell you guys my favorite theorem by Terrance Tao?” sounding like a fan talking about his idol. He then went on describing with clarity a seemingly simple mathematical statement. I was very impressed.
Towards the end of the summer, Sumedh hosted a party at their unit. I arrived late and walked in alone. I grabbed a beer and stood alone awkwardly, not sure whom I should strike a conversation with. Probably noticing my uneasiness, he walked towards me and started telling me how he loved my sweater and we exchanged a few words. I was grateful.
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I will raise a glass for you tonight. You have been an inspiration.
