Celebrating the life of my grandfather, the late Mr Ramlal Dookie!

Today I celebrate my grandpa, the late Mr. Ramlal Dookie who we, (all of his grandchildren) called Baba.

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…

Grandpa, our Baba was a spiritual person and in his last days spoke to Lord Rama and Lord Krishna.

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.