Dr Vishvanath Laud
1.7K posts
@aroog1278 It’s the new life for you Victoria, enjoy it 👍❤️🌹
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6 chemo sessions, one radical hysterectomy, 25 radiotherapy sessions, two brachytherapy sessions.
All done. What a year.
Latest scan shows I’m cancer free. Hoping the next one does too.
I’m still here. Bit broken, bit battered, but still here.
Now to get used to the new me ❤️
Thankyou to everyone who was there for me ❤️
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There is a singular pride in watching a young person grow, but there is something deeply moving about watching a protege exceed even the high hopes you held for them. This past Sunday, as I looked out at the graduating class at the Fletcher School, my eyes kept returning to one face in particular: @ArmaanMathur, now officially a Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy.
I first encountered Armaan when he was a high school student, sending an email filled with a rare earnestness and a sharp, inquisitive mind for international affairs. He had his heart set on St. Stephen’s, my own alma mater, and while the cruel mathematics of admissions cutoffs meant he didn't secure his spot there, I told him then what I believe now: Make them regret it.
He took that challenge to heart. At @Hansraj_College, Armaan didn’t just succeed; he flourished — excelling in the classroom, leading student societies, and proving his mettle on the cricket pitch. When he joined me as an intern, our correspondence shifted from advice to a genuine intellectual partnership. His reflective emails and deep insights into the world made it clear to me that he was a scholar of the highest calibre, as well as a genuinely likeable human being.
When he looked toward graduate studies, I knew exactly where he belonged. I was thrilled to support his application to my alma mater, the @FletcherSchool. And this time, the doors swung wide. He didn't just attend; he conquered. He secured a fellowship, maintained straight As, represented the school on the national & world stage, and ultimately achieved something that touches me more than I can adequately express: he became the Editor-in-Chief of the @FletcherForum of World Affairs.
In 1975, I helped found that journal and chaired its editorial board. To stand there a half-century later, serving as the Commencement Speaker for his class, and to watch Armaan take up the mantle of that very journal was a moment of pure, overwhelming gratitude. A journey that has, for me, come full circle.
Armaan, you have been a constant source of inspiration. You are a brilliant scholar, a leader of integrity, and a true inheritor of the work that has defined so much of my own life. Watching you accept your degree and standing alongside your parents after you did so was the highlight of my year, and I cannot wait to see how you change the world.
Congratulations, Armaan. The future is yours.
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