Today is Rama Navami which commemorates the birth of Lord Ram. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMFxDbXfkTU Who is Lord Rama? He is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, consort of Mother Sita and eldest son of King Dasarath who was the King of Ayodhya and Mother Kausalya.
Lord Rama and Sita Ma
Fortunate indeed we were to be present for Sri Sita Raam Kalyanam at Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre in Carapichaima. I took some pictures which I am happy to share with you:
Puja was in progress!A closer view of Lord Hanuman. Look at the moon which adds to the beautiful view!A shot of the picture of Sri Swamiji Ganapathy Sachidananda greets devotees!- view from under the tent after puja!Another shot of Appaji His Holiness Sri Swami Ganapathy Sachidananda!A very beautifully decorated Sri Hanumanji after Puja was completed!
To see Appaji Sri Swamiji conducting Ram Navami Puja visit this link:
We hope you had an enjoyable Ram Navami! From our family to your family Happy Ram Navami 2015! May Lord Rama’s blessings always be with you! Have a look at this and please feel free to share it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA2BYSivPXA
Celebrating Love: My Grandparents & the bond they share!
Ramlal and Jassodra Celia Dookie They were married on June 15, 1958. This picture was taken on October 3, 2010
Mr Ramlal Dookie of Coromandel Village Cedros was married to Jassodra Celia Ramlakhan of Rochard Douglas Road Barrackpore on June 15, 1958. In their marriage of 56 years they had seven (7) children- 6 girls and 1 boy- Doris, Dora, Dolcie, Devi, Jaggs, Bena and Rajdaye, and over the years became the mother-in-law and father-in-law of Ranjit, Winston, Fyzal, Sharaz, Hosein, Rosemary and Rajesh. With 15 grandchildren -Rishi, Savita, me, Adesh,Ria, Ricky, Sarah, Imran, Candice, Premnauth, Susan, Joseph, Josiah, Vincent and Leah, they became great grandparents of 4. Their journey together has been a long one and they not only got through the years together, but they understood each other and they loved each other. The time they spent together and the bond they share is something many only dream of! Some things in particular are that they took care of each other, they had a good relationship and for them it really was teamwork over the years. In 2013 they were blessed to sit for puja together and gave thanks for life and their years together. It was a true celebration in that it was a celebration of my grandpa’s birthday and their 55 years of marriage.
My dedication to my grandparents- Ed Sheeran’s song that describes their relationship and echoes so much!
Many may be able to recall that years ago they would be seen either going to or returning from Bowen Trace. It was their everyday routine. Each day grandpa was in the hospital he looked forward to seeing grandma and would constantly ask for her until she arrived. When he saw her it was just the way he would hold her hand and his smile said everything. He wanted her by his side and when she was there she continued to do what she could to take care of him. Her smile showed so much and her actions too. Definitely a lot one can learn from their relationship! Definitely proof that relationships are learning about each other, accepting each other for who you are, working things out together, the value of compromise, spending quality time together, trusting, caring, loving and so much more. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!
Today I celebrate my grandpa, the late Mr. Ramlal Dookie who we, (all of his grandchildren) called Baba.
This picture is one I took on October 3rd 2010. I was so happy to take this of my grandparents. Grandma looks serious but the truth is, they were both so happy as they sat together and I was thrilled for an opportunity to take the picture. She was telling him I was waiting to take the picture and he was laughing.
Mr. Ramlal Dookie passed away on March 19, 2015. A husband,father, father-in-law, grandfather, grandfather-in-law, great grandfather, uncle, friend and respected elder, he was known by many and well loved by all.
He has left us all with very fond memories and if you ask each of us, we would all have a different story to tell. The one thing each story would have in common is a fond memory. In his last days he spent 3 weeks, 2 days, 4 hours and 10 minutes in the hospital and had only fluids, mainly water and during the time we spent with him, his love for each of us was so evident.
His laughter, his smile, his jokes, his affection, his personality are some of the many things that would have impacted on us all and left a lasting impression.
Born on November 14, 1933, when my grandpa passed away on March 19, 2015 he was 81 years old and 7 months and 26 days short of his 82nd birthday. His union with my grandma, Mrs Jassodra Celia Dookie began on June 15, 1958 and spanned 56 years.
Parents of seven (7) children- 6 girls and 1 boy- Doris, Dora, Dolcie, Devi, Jaggs, Bena and Rajdaye, my grandma is the mother-in-law of and my grandpa was the father-in-law of Ranjit, Winston, Fyzal, Sharaz, Hosein, Rosemary and Rajesh.
He was the Brother-in-law of Mynee, Bissondaye (Betty), Bharose, Doodnath, Sita,Vinda and the late Sookraj Ramlakhan (my grandma’s siblings). Grandfather of 15 (Rishi, Savita, me, Adesh,Ria, Ricky, Sarah, Imran, Candice, Premnauth, Susan, Joseph, Josiah, Vincent and Leah), he was also a great grandfather of 4, uncle of Dilip, Mala among many others and he was a friend of many.
Apart from loving his family, anyone could associate him with riding his bicycle which he did for many years and with fishing with his seine which he enjoyed a lot.
Have a look at this: Years ago this would have been what we would have asked:
Today we know better.
Pay attention to these words:Itna tu karna swami Itna tu karna swami… Oh God, when the life leaves the body, your name should be on the mind, in the heart and lips and then the soul leaves the body. The banks of sacred river Shri Ganga and Shri Yamuna should be near, when the pran leaves the body. The place should be Vrindaban and in my mouth should have the Tulasi leaves and charnamrut the water that has washed Lord Vishnu’s Charans. When death is nearer no disease should harass me and Yama the god of death should not harass me. Also when the preparation of soul is leaving the body, my body should be cleansed of all vikaras, and the wood on which the body would be burnt should be synonymous to that from the forests of Vrindavan. Oh Lord this is my request…
Lord Rama and Sita Ma
Grandpa, our Baba was a spiritual person and in his last days spoke to Lord Rama and Lord Krishna.
Lord Krishna and Radha Ma with the sacred cow!
We got our time to say our goodbyes while he was here and let him know how much we loved him.
In Bhagwat Gita- Chapter 2, Verse 20. For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain. Chapter 2, Verse 21. O Partha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, unborn, eternal and immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to kill? Chapter 2, Verse 22. As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones. Chapter 2, Verse 23. The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind. Chapter 2, Verse 24. This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, all-pervading, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same. Chapter 2, Verse 25. It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable, immutable, and unchangeable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.
“The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege”- Charles Kuralt
At this very moment I am Celebrating Family in an official way! Otherwise I celebrate it unofficially making the most of every waking moment with those I love!
If you didn’t know then you know now- my family is my immediate family (my dad Ranjit, my mom Doris, my sister Ria, my brother Ricky, sister-in- law, Leci, my nephew Richie Lee Thomas- members of dad’s family (Thomas, Bheem, Ramlakhan, Roopnarine, Mungal, Basdeo families and aunts, uncles, cousins-Persad, Gayah,etc of my dad), Dookie- (members of mom’s family, i.e. Dookie, Ramlogan, Bocas, Mohammed families and aunts, uncles, cousins etc of my mom- Singh’s, Jagdeo’s, Bridgelal’s, Sinanan’s, Moon and Ramlakhan), Jeremiah’s-members of Shiva’s family, (i.e. Jeremiah, Singh, Carson, Pettersson families), friends, those who my posts reach, Coromandel Shiv Mandir family, Dattatreya family, former colleagues who keep in touch, those who are humane, those from all over the world (India, Australia, USA, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Guyana etc who view my blog) and those who have a heart
In this post I celebrate you! Yes indeed, I celebrate each of you!
In essence I celebrate each of you as my family!
About a month or two ago, a classmate asked about my favourite childhood memory and I said it was spending time with my family and sitting down for Sunday lunch together.
I value every smile I have seen, every hug I have shared, every time I have been able to tell my loved ones, “I love you!” and show them my love for them.
Have a look at these videos. I can identify with them so much and I am sure you will be able to!
I will remain forever happy for the blessings of my family! Every time I made you smile and heard you laugh… every time I hugged you, every time I saw you, spoke to you, got to do something for you and be on the receiving end of you doing something for me!
Grandpa, grandma, Mom, Dad, my husband, my sister, my brother, my sister-in-law, my handsome nephew,etc etc I value every minute I have had with you thus far and I cherish what is yet to! Don’t waste an opportunity to celebrate family! Time waits on none of us! From me to you, all members of my family as listed at the beginning, I celebrate you- I celebrate family!
Celebrating Existence 