Dhangauri Parikh Obituary

Parikh, Dhangauri Nandlal We are deeply saddened to share that on September 27, 2019 our beloved Baji (grandmother), Dhangauriben Nandlal Parikh, passed away just shy of her 104th birthday. She is reunited in love and spirit with her husband, Nandlal Sakerchand Parikh, her son, Prahlad Nandlal Parikh, and all her dearly departed loved ones. We were incredibly blessed to have Baji in our lives. She was quite simply the purest soul we've ever known and the finest human being we will ever know. While many strive to leave their mark on this world in a variety of different ways, Baji did so by simply being the pure selfless embodiment of love and faith. Though we will miss her immensely, we as a family are blessed to celebrate her life, love, and legacy. For over 4 decades, Baji was a pillar of the South Asian community in the Chicagoland area she was truly "Chicago's Baji." For those of you that remember the early days of Chicago's Indian Community Organizations, you will assuredly remember that Baji was ever present with boundless love faith and devotion. Since the late 1970s Baji was also a spiritual center for the community, hosting several bhajans (prayer celebrations) a year, feeding the community at large, and donating the proceeds to help the needy in India. In the late 80s, Sri Indira Betiji & Dhrumil Bava blessed our home with a consecrated murti (idol) of Srinathji Bhagwan, which became the unofficial Haveli mandir (temple) of the Midwest for several decades. Our late mother, Dr. Shobha Deven Parikh, and Baji together embodied the concept of "Seva" serving their Srinathji "Lalo" like a living breathing embodiment of God and sharing his blessings with the entire community. Baji was born on Dhanteras, during the festival of Diwali, in Surendranagar, India to Mr. Bhaichand Vora & Mrs. Laxmiben Vora. Due to the auspicious date of her birth, she was named Dhanlakshmi (later called Dhangauri) Vora. Engaged at the age of only 6 months old and orphaned a few short years later, Baji was separated from her brother & sister, as a child, to be raised by her loving maternal grandmother & uncle. Unfortunately, they passed away less than a decade later and Ba found herself a bride whilst not yet even a teenager. In her early teens, Baji gave birth to her first child, Prahlad, whom she'd love and remember for all her life. Sadly, he too passed away at a young age. Baji would not have another child for another 12 years or so but she endured. Over the years, she and Nandlal Dada would go on to help "raise" many neighborhood children as if they were their own. In December of 1947, Baji would give birth to a second son, Devendra Nandlal Parikh, in Dhrangadhra, Gujarat. She would often refer to his birth as a miracle a gift from God. In August of 1951, she completed her family with a beautiful baby girl, Bharati Nandlal Parikh. In the early 1950s, the family would move to Dhal ni Pol where they would live together until the untimely passing of both her husband and mother-in-law, which occurred a handful of years apart two more devastating losses. By late 1964, Baji was in an unimaginable position. She was a widow with 2 teenage children, no income, no education, and with no substantive means to support her family. Baji responded to the adversity by telling her children 'do not cry because from today on I am your father and your mother.' That level of courage in such a time of despair, having already lost so much over the previous 49 years of her life, is beyond comprehension but Baji was a symbol of that greatest generation filled with strength, faith, love, and determination. Baji raised her family as a single widowed mother; borrowing money to send her only son to America in hopes of establishing a better life for him as well as for the family all the while, raising her daughter in Dhal ni Pol. In February of 1978, at the age of 62, Baji came to Chicago for good. She would spend the next 41 plus years establishing a deep rooted foundation of love, faith, family, and community to become Chicago's Baji. She would raise 4 grandkids, host nearly 100 bhajans, donate tens of thousands of dollars to charity, serve countless community organizations & mandirs, travel each weekend with a group of close friends (including Narayan & Surya Modi and Navnit & Ramila Shah) to hold hundreds of satsangs (musical prayer gatherings) at neighborhood homes for all occasions, and perform seva at her Lalo's mandir with endless devotion. Baji would go on to welcome many new additions to the family, including her great-granddaughters, Riya & Sarina Cheriyan. Baji gave her blessings for her third great-granddaughter as well; attending her Randal Maa puja & baby shower. Unfortunately, Baji passed away just ten short days before getting to meet Lakshmi Shobha Parikh, who was born on Dussehra, during Navratri, and who most assuredly received blessings from both her "Shobhi Ba" and "Moti Ba" directly from God before her birth. Baji lived a truly remarkable life. In 2017 Baji, along with our late mother, Dr. Shobha Deven Parikh, would go on to have their picture featured as a part of the Beyond Bollywood exhibit in the Field Museum; symbolizing the South Asian community's four-generation-strong presence in the Chicagoland area. Baji is survived, with love and gratitude, by her children (Devendra Nandlal Parikh, Bina Pankaj Shah), children-in-law (Dr. Pankaj K. Shah, Prabodh & Jagruti Shah, Dilip & Hemangini Shah, Nikunj & Dr. Kiran Talati) grandchildren (Parul Parikh Cheriyan, Dr. Rupak D. Parikh, Parag D. Parikh, Dr. Roshan P. Shah), grandchildren-in-law (Thomas Cheriyan, Nancy To), great-grandchildren (Riya Rachel Cheriyan, Sarina Anne Cheriyan, Lakshmi Shobha Parikh), and her extended family and friends. We will miss her in ways that words cannot articulate, but more than anything, we are grateful for each and every second we had with her. If anyone deserves Moksha, it is Baji, and we as a family collectively pray that she has ascended to that level of enlightenment to break free from the cycle of samsara. From the bottom of our hearts, we pray that her soul is resting in peace with God. In our opinion, her beautiful life deserves nothing less. We love you Baji. We miss you. We celebrate you. We will never forget you. Thank you for everything. Jai Shree Krishna.