Shanti Kumari
Encyclopedia
Shanti Kumari-Scott was a fictional character
on the soap opera
Shortland Street
, and was played by Nisha Madhan.
She worked as Charge Nurse at Shortland Street Hospital
and oversighted Maia Jeffries
's department when she took maternity leave.
Shanti had been betrothed as a child to Dinesh Jivani since a child and the marriage was called off when she began dating nursing manager James Scott
who she married in an extravagant four-day Gujarati ceremony.
Shanti died on October 19, 2009 from kidney failure which resulted from a ectopic pregnancy.
who she took a disliking to because of his harsh methods but soon she developed a crush on him and the two started dating and eventually Scotty took her virginity
. Shanti knew in her heart that Scotty wasn't the Ferndale Strangler
like many had accused him of and she fell in love with him.
targerted Shanti as he was disgusted she had lost her virginity before marriage. He had two attempts at her life with Scotty saving her both times unbeknown to him and Shanti. In early 2008 Dinesh Javani arrived to Shortland Street, he was the man Shantis family had arranged for her to marry. He made multiple attempts to sway her but in the end admitted his defeat and decided to break Scotty and Shanti up. Shanti attempted to marry Scotty in a small ceremony but Dinesh and Shantis brother Sunil arrived and broke it up. Dinesh soon gave up and returned to India after having a one night stand with Toni Warner
. Shanti decided to try again and she and Scotty got married in a traditional Hindu
4 day ceremony in front of all their friends and family.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Shortland Street
Shortland Street
Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera, first broadcast on Television New Zealand's TV2 on 25 May 1992. It is the country's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 4500 episodes and 19 years, and is one of the most watched television programs in...
, and was played by Nisha Madhan.
She worked as Charge Nurse at Shortland Street Hospital
Shortland Street Hospital
Shortland Street Hospital is a fictional hospital which is the main setting for the TVNZ soap opera Shortland Street...
and oversighted Maia Jeffries
Maia Jeffries
Maia Anne Jeffries is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Anna Jullienne from mid 2004 to early 2011, with the character starring in numerous high profile storylines alongside her on screen family....
's department when she took maternity leave.
Shanti had been betrothed as a child to Dinesh Jivani since a child and the marriage was called off when she began dating nursing manager James Scott
James Scott (character)
James Owen "Scotty" Scott is a fictional character on New Zealand's longest running soap opera Shortland Street and was portrayed by Kiel McNaughton from his arrival in March 2007, first as a guest character before returning in June 2007 as a core cast member, up until the characters axing in 2011...
who she married in an extravagant four-day Gujarati ceremony.
Shanti died on October 19, 2009 from kidney failure which resulted from a ectopic pregnancy.
Arrival to the street and meeting James Scott
Shanti arrived to Shortland Street in May 2007 and instantly showed her reluctance to try alcohol and indulge in sexual behavior because of her religion. Shanti soon met ScottyJames Scott (character)
James Owen "Scotty" Scott is a fictional character on New Zealand's longest running soap opera Shortland Street and was portrayed by Kiel McNaughton from his arrival in March 2007, first as a guest character before returning in June 2007 as a core cast member, up until the characters axing in 2011...
who she took a disliking to because of his harsh methods but soon she developed a crush on him and the two started dating and eventually Scotty took her virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
. Shanti knew in her heart that Scotty wasn't the Ferndale Strangler
Joey Henderson
Joseph James "Joey" Henderson was a fictional character that appeared on New Zealand's longest running soap opera Shortland Street, and was the soap's first serial killer. Although always a suspect, the audience did not learn Joey was the killer until December 2007...
like many had accused him of and she fell in love with him.
Murder attempt, Dinesh and marrying Scotty
In 2008, serial killer Joey HendersonJoey Henderson
Joseph James "Joey" Henderson was a fictional character that appeared on New Zealand's longest running soap opera Shortland Street, and was the soap's first serial killer. Although always a suspect, the audience did not learn Joey was the killer until December 2007...
targerted Shanti as he was disgusted she had lost her virginity before marriage. He had two attempts at her life with Scotty saving her both times unbeknown to him and Shanti. In early 2008 Dinesh Javani arrived to Shortland Street, he was the man Shantis family had arranged for her to marry. He made multiple attempts to sway her but in the end admitted his defeat and decided to break Scotty and Shanti up. Shanti attempted to marry Scotty in a small ceremony but Dinesh and Shantis brother Sunil arrived and broke it up. Dinesh soon gave up and returned to India after having a one night stand with Toni Warner
Toni Warner
Antoinette "Toni" Warner was a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street...
. Shanti decided to try again and she and Scotty got married in a traditional Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
4 day ceremony in front of all their friends and family.
Demon House
In 2008, Scotty and Shanti, newly wed, decided to move into a house. They chose a nice big house that they could do renovations on easily. The neighbours would often shy away from them and they had a string of bad luck at the house warming. Eventually the two found out that the house was a scene of a murder suicide. In the bathroom, there was blood or some sort of rust sprayed across the walls. The two decided they needed serious work in. Scotty tried to move the bath out but hurt his back and was out for days. Shanti brought fish for the house and all of them died. The two were sure the house was haunted. But eventually they found out the house had a Maori baby die in it and was buried in the back yard. They enlisted TK who hired a Maori spiritualist who helped lift the baby’s spirit. This storyline was met with a lot of negativity after fans disagreed with the direction it was going and some view that the writers changed the story half way through and took the easy way out. Scotty and Shanti carried on living in the house and the renovations seemed to have stopped.Financial problems, Oliver and Rebecca Scotts return
Scotty and Shanti wanted to start a family, but the recession was kicking in, so Scotty decided to sell his other property he was renting to his sister Rebecca, and her two children. Rebecca and her children came to live with Scotty and Shanti. Much to Shantis horror, she found out Rebecca was a prostitute and told Scotty. Rebecca would spend hours away forcing Scotty to have to call her brothel. Two henchmen of the brothel came to confront Rebecca and held Shanti hostage. They left, leaving Shanti unharmed. Scotty told Rebecca that it was an unsafe place to raise her children. Shanti told Sunil about Rebecca and he instantly stopped dating her. Rebecca moved out, frustrated at Shanti. She tried to buy back her old house but Scotty wouldn't let her. Rebecca started up a small brothel with former pimp Kieran Mitchell weeks later. Still feeling the recession, Scotty decided to rent out a room in the house. He rented it to new doctor Oliver Ritchie. The man was very strange and would eat in his room. Scotty suspected him was making drugs, it was not the case. Out of nowhere, Shanti developed a very bad illness known as dengue fever. Scotty let Oliver look after Shanti. Oliver used herbal remedies but they were not very effective, although the sickness eventually ended.Pregnancy and Shanti's death
After Shanti's sickness, she continued vomiting. She told Scotty to come into the toilet and announced to him she was pregnant. Scotty and Shanti were excited at becoming parents, but unfortunately this joyous occasion was short-lived as Shanti was in severe pain and Scotty had to rush her to the hospital. She was taken into ED but then was transferred to surgery, which Chris had to act upon. Sadly he gently explained to Scotty that Shanti's kidneys had failed, she had lost a lot of blood and her heart had immediately stopped. Scotty asked him if she couldn't have any children but Chris had told him that he had tried to save her and she had died, causing Scotty to remain speechless and heartbroken inside. Not only Shanti had gone, but also their unborn childShanti's Funeral
There was a debate on Shanti's funeral, her family wanted it to be done the Hindu way (In which the body is to be cremated) and Scotty wanted her to be buried at a funeral home, but Shanti's mother gently explained that Scotty was her husband and that her love for him was strong, though in the end Scotty decided to have it the traditional way. On Thursday 22 October, Shanti's body was brought back home, dressed in her wedding gown and was adorned with the jewellery from her family and Rebecca (Scotty's sister). Most of the staff from Shortland Street Hospital attended the funeral service. Just before Shanti's body was taken, Scotty leaned himself on the coffin and bravely with sadness he farewell his beloved in Te Reo, then afterwards he let out a few tears as Rebecca held him. On the next episode, as he was in the backyard with TK and her family, he saw his beautiful beloved, sitting on the swings smiling at him. This links back to when Scotty and Shanti bought their first house and Shanti was excited at the swing the house had, back when Scotty and Shanti first fell into love. This symbloises that Scotty and Shanti will always be in love.Trivia
- Shanti appeared on the opening credits of the show from August 2008 to August 2010. Shanti appeared in the credits for 10 months after her death before they were changed.
- Shanti still frequently appears on the show as pictures of her and Scottys wedding are up in Scotty and Shantis house.