Saying Goodbye to Devaki
It is with deep sorrow that we share with you the passing of our good friend, Devaki. Devaki on the bank of the Ganges River in Rishikesh, India In the late 1980’s when the Arya family was living in Delhi, Devaki married Radhe, the Arya family’s cook. When our family returned to Dehradun, Devaki and Radhe chose to move with us. L to R: Lal Bahadur, Raghubir, Succha Singh, Swami Veda, Radhe, Devaki, Bhagwat Originally from a matrilineal culture in Kerala, Devaki was always a strong, determined woman and she made her own life decisions. This didn’t change while she lived in Dehradun; when Radhe passed away, she refused to take part in the North Indian convention of giving up her jewelry and only wearing white. Her colourful saris were an expression of her own self-worth and self-determination. By being herself, she demonstrated to us – nonresident Indians with little experience of India outside of the norms of North India – that there were other ways to be Indian. She had a free and happy spirit, and her greatest joy was her son, Dev. Devaki with her son, Dev When we spent long periods of time in India, Devaki would take our younger family members under her wing, showing them where to buy the best vegetables and fruits from the vendors who roamed up and down the streets of D’dun. She snuck them treats from the kitchen, too. We all called her Mami (Auntie), regardless of how old we were. As KHEL grew, she became the heart of a bustling kitchen, whipping up delicious meals for unexpected guests, and always ready with cups of chai to sustain us through [...]