Body of KZN graduate brought home after she suffered cardiac arrest in India

TWO months ago, former Durban woman Mikaila Chetty achieved her dream of being called “doctor” when she graduated with her PhD in Forensic Toxicology.

- NADIA KHAN

However, Chetty, 28, who was living in Delhi, India, died after she suffered cardiac arrest on April 18.

Her body arrived in South Africa on Friday and her funeral took place at the Clare Estate Crematorium on Saturday.

Speaking to the POST, her aunt Vanitha Moodley said Chetty’s sudden death had devastated them.

"How do we begin to say goodbye to someone whose presence was as vibrant and vital as the colours of Holi? Mikaila was someone who, even in her silence, lit up every space she entered."

Moodley said Chetty, formerly of Glenwood, together with her mother, Priscilla, and elder sister, Yovana, had relocated to India about 13 years ago.

"At the time, Mikaila was still in high school. However, she was such a brilliant child that she had even skipped two grades. When they relocated, she attended Podar International School, in Mumbai, which is affiliated to Cambridge University, and completed her A-levels.

"She achieved academic excellence and received a scholarship from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to further her studies. She graduated with her Bachelors degree in Bio-technology at the Burdwan University in Kolkata, and thereafter her Master’s degree in Zoology at Goa University.