Grief-stricken Family members and relatives of Tarishi Jain, a 19-year-old Indian girl killed in the Dhaka terror attack, at her residence in Firozabad, U.P., July 3. (Press Trust of India)

UC Berkeley sophomore Tarishi Jain is confirmed to be among the 20 people killed by Islamic militants during the July 1 terrorist attack at a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh, writes Yasmin Anwar. – @siliconeer #siliconeer #bangladeshterrorattacks #tarishijain #UCBerkeley #Cal #yasminanwar

Jain, 18, an Indian national, was working on e-commerce growth at Eastern Bank Limited in Dhaka through an internship with UC Berkeley’s Subir and Malini Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies. She began the internship in early June.

“We are all very devastated to hear the news about Tarishi Jain. She was a smart and ambitious young woman with a big heart. Our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and the entire Berkeley community,” said Sanchita Saxena, executive director of the Institute for South Asia Studies and director of the Center for Bangladesh Studies.

Jain’s father, Sanjeev Jain, is a textile merchant based in Dhaka. He was among family members and friends outside the Holey Artisan Bakery anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones during the 11-hour hostage standoff that started Friday evening.

A graduate of the American International School in Dhaka, Jain came to UC Berkeley in 2015 and was intending to major in economics.

Tarishi Jain, a UC Berkeley sophomore, was among 20 killed in the recent terrorist attack in Bangladesh. (UC Berkeley)
Tarishi Jain, a UC Berkeley sophomore, was among 20 killed in the recent terrorist attack in Bangladesh. (UC Berkeley)

At Berkeley, Jain was active on the International Student Advisory Board (ISAB), a group that provides guidance to and organizes events for international students.

Jain also helped create a clothing line named EthiCal Apparel whose profits are reinvested to provide microloans to low-income people who lack access to banking services.

“She was a very talented young lady with a passion to make a positive difference in the world. It is not just a loss for India or UC Berkeley, but a loss for the world,” said Subir Chowdhury, a quality-management strategist whose donation launched UC Berkeley’s Center for Bangladesh Studies.

A memorial vigil to honor the lives of Jain and others slain in the Bangladesh terrorist attack was held July 5 on the campus’s Sproul Plaza. The event was hosted by the Associated Students of the University of California.

The above story is reprinted with permission from the author. It first appeared on the UC Berkeley News Web site.