Sunderrajan, aka Sunder and Raj - he escaped on Dec 10, 2019, having fought a good fight against Glioblastoma, 5 months and 10 days - he came true on his mantra, lived the Big picture.

I am one of the villagers in his village. And this episode is a dedication to our Raj bhai.

He has shown us during his lifetime and in the aftermath what human connections are, a much loved and cherished member of the extended family. And I have had the good fortune of calling him my big brother -we grew up together as one does in middle-class India of 70s-80s and then transitioning to the USofA. During his treatment I got to spend some good weeks and I cherish them.

The idea of joining Swim it Forward germinated then.

I resolved seeing Sunder in the Swim It Forward hat, that I would come out with him to this swim the following year, that was Oct 2019. And then there was the Dec 10 when he was relieved of his pain in this body. Following that the pandemic - that has been in our lives. So the opportunity didn't come until now - to pay it forward with Team Swim It Forward. For the life he lived where every connection was important. Raj had a special gift to make you feel like he was there for YOU. And as a result his village had a footprint wherever he had been. This is his village in Cleveland, a circle of love during his visits to the Cleveland Clinic.

Naoko introduced me to Swim Across America in 2015-2016) when she was doing the swim in Seattle as a Cancer Fundraiser - fast forward to 2019, she dedicated her Swim it Forward swim to Team SatyaSunder honoring his fight. And I felt his presence in the waters by the Golden Gate Bridge

He sported that cap with pride, as one who believes in the power of the collective prayer he was at the forefront. I was excited when the possibility of the swim became real as the covid vaccine came on. Preparing with remote direction from Naoko, training with Coach Chris at Alma Masters and Tom Sosnoswki got me ready for this.