Front row (l-r): Satish Lohchab (young uncle), Sonia Rathee (cousin’s daughter), Sheela Rathee (cousin), Asha Rani (sister), Hoshiar Singh (father), Kamla Singh (wife), Sonika Lohchab (young aunt), Deypika Singh (daughter).
Back row (l-r): Surajmal Rathee (cousin’s husband), Sahil Rathee (cousin’s son), Sundeyp Singh (elder son), Sanskar Lohchab (dearest cousin), Nitin Saharan (sister’s son), Vishwanath Iyer ( son-in-law) Aashi Lohchab (loveliest cousin), Mark Rea (devotee friend).
Not pictured: Abhineyt (Nick) Singh (younger son), Usha Rathee (sister), Jay Rathee (brother-in-law), Sonia Rathee (sister’s daughter), Ankur Rathee (sister’s son), Priya Saharan (sister’s daughter), Baljit Saharan (brother-in-law), Ompati Saharan (sister’s mother-in-law), Savita Rathee (sister’s daughter), Vikas Rathee (son-in-law), Santosh and O. P. Rathee (Vikas’ parents), Ompati Lohchab (grandmother), Anubha Jalsingh (cousin).
The irreplaceable Gulab Singh
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of Gulab Singh, a devoted family man and a fellow usher at the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple in Encinitas, California. I loved serving with Gulab. He was a model of sincerity, devotion and generosity of spirit.
Today, Gulab’s extended family gathered on the Temple patio in front of the tree that they had arranged to donate in Gulab’s memory. The tree serves as the centerpiece of the patio, much as Gulab was the centerpiece of his large and growing family. His wife, Kamla, told me, “I vowed to plant a tree in his memory that people could sit under and meditate.”
Indeed, Gulab’s spirit will now be ever present at the Temple. I think of him every time I pass by and glance at the tree. That was Kamla’s intention: to provide comfort and strength to Gulab’s friends and loved ones whenever they visit the Temple that Gulab so dearly loved.
I shared this photo of Gulab, which was taken by Chris Gray, with my daughter. She told me, “That picture is awesome. You can tell he had wonderful energy and was a pure, loving soul.” It’s true. Gulab’s devotion shone in his eyes. He will be sorely missed.
Click here to view my earlier post on Gulab’s passing.
Click here to view all my posts about Paramahansa Yogananda and Self-Realization Fellowship.
Tags: devotion, family, Gulab Singh, love, memorial, spiritual
Triumph of the Spirit 
April 24, 2015 at 2:52 PM
Beautiful Photo – Pray that we may all share and live that open enthusiasm for God and Guru
December 27, 2018 at 10:12 AM
Please allow me to quote from “Visiting the Saints of India With Sri Daya Mata” by Sri Mrinalini Mata, chapter II, page 38. “In traditional homes, the ancient customs of family life that have come down for centuries, as Master describes in his Autobiography, are still practiced and taught to succeeding generations. And it was really wonderful to spend time in a number of homes in different cities where the family ideals that Master had always talked to us so much about were lived and where we could see them with our own eyes.”
On page 39 there is a picture of just such a family and the family pictured above entitled “A Tree for Gulab” is again such a beautiful testament to the aims and ideals of SRF, one of which is “To advocate cultural and spiritual understanding between East and West, and the exchange of their finest distinctive features.”
Encinitas has been blessed with one of India’s “finest distinctive features” in the form of living examples of “the family ideals that Master had always talked to us so much about.”