Bengaluru: A peacemaker and pacifist, Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah never believed in friendly fights even during primary school years. To hear that the Bengaluru-educated ‘Molly’ — as he’s fondly called — died a violent death over a workplace spat in the US is “shattering, a blow I never knew he’d be hit with”, said Sailas Nulaka, a classmate from primary school and a friend of three decades.Sailas and Chandra Mouli shared a friendship that went far beyond the common years spent in Bengaluru school and tuitions. Sailas said he called him ‘Molly’ — maybe a friendly twist for ‘Mouli’ — for no particular reason. “He was the most humble friend I’ve known,” he said.They first met as children, barely seven years old, in Kodihalli where they would go for tuitions. Sailas recalls Molly studying in a HAL school in Vimanapura, east Bengaluru. Their families soon became close as the boys went together for maths and science tuitions, sharing toffees and stories along the way. “It was never about coffee or gifts back then,” Sailas recalled. “Little things made us feel elated. We were just happy to share food and laughter.“Even as a boy, Molly stood apart for his calm and kind nature. “In case of a fight, he would immediately stop it and say, ‘Why should one fight?’ If someone slapped him, he was the kind of guy who would not even retaliate,” said Sailas, remembering his friend’s quiet strength.The bond lasted through school until life took them in different directions after Class 10. For years, they lost touch. They reconnected two years ago. “It felt so good to reunite. I spoke to him just a week ago,” he said.When reports of Molly’s murder reached him, Sailas took to X to pen his grief: “A childhood companion, a calm soul, and a family friend whose presence was inseparable from his growing years.”He said, “I don’t know how the family is handling it…. Especially his wife, son, and sister. Abilash Reddy, a childhood friend from Thippasandra and former corporator, told TOI: “We’ve been friends since childhood. The family is highly respectable. About two years ago, they renovated their house and turned it into a PG. They have always been kind and generous, which is why it is so shocking something of this magnitude has happened to them.”
