Tanuja Bhogal (Tanya)
Dale 1988-90
If you were at the Leys in 1988-89, you will remember Tanya. She was a sparkler on a drizzly day. She was an iconoclast, a character, an immutably optimistic and vibrant soul. She treasured her time at The Leys. If you remember her, you’ll remember her stomping about in her Doc Martens. You’ll remember her fiery intelligence, forthrightness, and how articulate she was. If you had Mr Wood’s history class with her, you’ll remember how she simultaneously argued and flirted her way through the class such that no one else really got a word in. If you were in English with her, you’ll remember how she loved Mr Siddall because she adored words as much as he did.
Tanya went to Bristol after The Leys and then went to live in Taiwan. We lost touch. But several years later we found ourselves having dinner in East Coast Seafood Centre in Singapore with our feet in the sand and chilli crab on our fingers. She was one of those people who, when we met up, would positively storm back into my life and tell me exactly where I was going wrong. But she also had a glowing vision of anyone she loved that transcended reality.
Early last year Tanya died suddenly of multiple organ failure brought on by septic shock. How can there be a world where I can’t go out for dinner with Tanya? How can I bear never again to see that better version of myself reflected back at me through her love?
If you remember her, remember the nicest thing she ever said to you. She’d love that.
Words by Jasmine Montgomery, Granta 1988-90