I made this decision to publish this
presentation because I wanted the fond and
golden memories of my beloved wife Saroj
Kumari Devi to be treasured somewhere safer
to be read and appreciated by my children,
grand children and other relatives and friends.
I wanted to express my deep love and
devotional dedication to My Saroj.
I do not know for sure if this will be read and
appreciated by my people with the same
interest and enthusiasm that I took to create
these but we all live in this world with hope.
That is what I am doing. I am hoping that all
the deeper feelings of love and emotions
contained in this publication will provide some
interest, lessons, information and knowledge
to the readers.
My Saroj, my Pretty Lotus, was not an
ordinary woman. She was a devoted wife, a
loving mother, a very pleasant grandmother, a
fine friend, a dutiful daughter, a super sister,
a brilliant student, a dedicated educator, a
candid community worker and above all she
had a very kind, calm and controlled
personality. She was a perfect persona that
was a rare gem.
7
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
She was an angel of the Prasad Family and if I
did not create these memorable presentations
then I would not be rightfully celebrating all
the goodness, truth and beauty that this lovely
lady displayed, personified and represented in
her almost 73 years of useful existence.
I was extremely fortunate and proud to have
her company for fifty-five years. She tamed
me, she loved me, she looked after me and she
bestowed me with a family that celebrates all
of her glory and fame.
There are many strange twists and devious
turns as one hopped down the overgrown
bunny trail of life and I know that there are
always Jokers in the pack of cards when it
came to things of interest in the family life. I
say that life is full of surprises and ours was
no different. Let me be that Joker and reveal it
all.
Our love grew humdrum in the later years of
our marriage. We were together for so long
that we had become almost exquisitely
attuned to each other. For me she was the one
and for her I was the one. Our love could not
be turned off like an electric light because it
ran from our heart and our heart had its own
imperative.
8
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
Our marriage was successful because we
looked at it as a balancing act and it also was
dependant on a high tolerance for any
irritation. When the clouds rolled in then we
also knew that sooner or later they will roll
out.
She will be in our hearts and minds forever
and we are certain that she has reached her
complete Nirvana, her mukti, her salvation
and her Atma is one with her Parmatama. Her
karma, her words, deeds, thoughts, character,
habits and dedication have made her attain
life in heaven and not reincarnate in this
sinful world.
As a result of all her accumulated karma, she
was an enlightened being lightening up the
darkness of our lives.
When she came to the end of her life’s journey,
I was with her and could see an exceptional
radiance around her that looked like a freshly
bloomed lotus and I felt that she had found
the way out of the cycle of rebirth and this was
the fruit of her good karma throughout her
life.
I could feel that she was letting go all
attachment and aversion and thus attaining
Nirvana, which was total libration from all her
suffering. Although she was experiencing
9
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
unparallel joy that flowed from within her and
was able to achieve her internal serenity and
limitless happiness but in the eyes of sentient
beings like me I felt the greatest of sorrow and
could not accept the truth that she had
attained the ultimate happiness. I stilled
longed to be with her.
So the instant that my Pretty Lotus
extinguished the fires of delusion that was the
instant she experienced and attained Nirvana
but at that time in my loss and tragic
situation I could not understand that her
accumulation of karma and all the good,
truthful and beautiful merits were going to live
with me forever. I was blessed.
It seemed that she was saying, “Darling, I have
‘nothing’ to give you and I am going empty-
handed.” In asking her to pass on that
‘nothing’ to me I received ‘everything’ that she
had accumulated over the years, her
meritorious karma. So from her word ‘nothing’
the notion of ‘everything’ arose for me and I
am celebrating those fond golden and
treasured memories and would continue to do
so until I join her.
May she rest in peace and I look forward to
joining her to complete my life as a loyal
husband and a faithful friend. Each and every
poem and article that I have composed is an
10
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
epitome of my deep love for this unique lady in
my life- a pretty lotus, a lamp, a light and a
bright star that will shine brightly throughout
the rest of my life.
I will not find another Pretty Lotus, My Saroj
in this world because she was the woman God
planned for me and she loved me to the
breadth and length of me. She always filled me
with joy and while my life was hers, her life
was mine. That was the reason for our
happiness and bliss.
However, the life that we had planned for
ourselves in our old age had completely
changed after her passing away. I never knew
the pain of the loss of such valuable treasure
before so I neither knew that the pain would
ever go away nor I could understand my grief
but I only wanted to outrun my sorrow and
loneliness. This has not happened.
Although my only objective now is to sleep
away the pain in my heart and body but so far
this has not been possible and I know that it
will never ever be achieved until I join her.
I love you Darling. You are my Angel, my
Pretty Lotus.
I salute you for all your instinctual devotion to
the Prasad Family of Bellbowrie.
Ram Lakhan Prasad.
11
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
The Pretty Lotus
I have observed and admired the lotus flower
all my life because the flower always looked so
clean and pure in any pond that I visited.
However, the lotus that bloomed in our pond
came to be associated with purity, pious ness
and beauty of one unique and rare individual
of the Prasad Family whose name Saroj means
lotus.
Her parents gave her this beautiful and
spiritual name because they were told by the
astrologers that this pretty baby was destined
to become a great personality as she grew up
and matured. So she did, and when she
completed her education she was decorated
with
many
medals,
certificates
and
meritorious accolades. Saroj became a
brilliant teacher and served the community for
over half a century as a dedicated worker in
Fiji and Australia.
One of the most fortunate individuals was
Ram Lakhan Prasad, who fell in love with her
and married her and then they together
nurtured a wonderful family called the Prasad
Family of Bellbowrie.
12
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
Saroj and Lakhan enjoyed their blissful
married life for almost fifty years and would
have
celebrated
their
golden
wedding
anniversary on 19th January 2014. However,
the Pretty Lotus left this world leaving the
family of four grown up married children and
ten grand children forever mourning her
unexpected departure. Such is life.
Throughout many cultures over time, the lotus
has been a powerful image and a spiritual
symbol and similarly our lotus, our Saroj,
became a sacred name for us. She turned out
to be our angel, who was an excellent
daughter, a sensible sister, a devoted wife, a
loving mother, a kind grandmother, a loyal
friend, a brilliant student, an effective teacher,
a professional teacher trainer and above all a
very fine human being.
The spirit of Saroj has been spotless, like the
pretty, pure and divine lotus. Over the years,
she served the Prasad Family with great
dignity and merit and created a harmonious
atmosphere for every one she hugged, kissed,
touched, cuddled, taught and gave or provided
her tender loving care.
She illuminated and enlightened the lives of so
many of us but left this universe at the age of
seventy three on 14th March, 2013 with
nothing but greatest glory and fame. So the
13
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
jewel in the lotus was gone and left us with
multiple golden and fond memories for us to
treasure and celebrate. That is what we are
doing now and will continue to do forever.
The heart and soul of our Saroj was like an
unopened lotus which developed internally
over the years to unfold and blossom to give
us unity in diversity in our lives and provide
pure joy that we so proudly enjoy today.
Our Saroj was the symbol of everlasting
beauty, fruitful fertility, pleasant prosperity,
sincere spirituality and esoteric eternity. She
was a perfect representative of somebody who
carried out her tasks with little concern for
any reward and acquired a full liberation from
unnecessary worldly attachments.
We have experienced that our Saroj
represented the open flower in our family and
the unopened lotus bud that was a true
representative of a folded soul that had the
ability to unfold and open itself up to the
divine truth, beauty and goodness. She
believed in the power of the Supreme Being
but distanced herself from meaningless and
frivolous religious ceremonies that wasted our
time, money, efforts and dignity.
It is hoped that the presentations in this
publication
would
provide
a
better
14
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
understanding of not only the lotus as a divine
and sacred flower but our Saroj as a Pretty
Lotus of the Prasad Family of Bellbowrie. It is
our utmost pride and honour to narrate some
of the meritorious words, thoughts, deeds and
activities of this angel who was born to serve
the family and the community.
We have included the words of this Lotus
(Saroj) who created this reflection towards the
final days of her life. There are numerous
creative and poetic episodes expressed by her
husband,
her
instinctual
lover
and
unconditional devotee of over half a century.
Some specific reflections have come from her
children and grand children and others. So at
last, this has become a momentous creation
and a symbol of adoration for every one to
read, appreciate, learn and enjoy.
After the passing away of Our Saroj, our Pretty
Lotus, I decided to develop this publication to
celebrate her meritorious life together with her
power of passion and glory. Therefore, I would
like to provide the timeless significance of the
lotus flower to show how our Saroj
represented such a divine and sacred
phenomenon.
As the lotus flower symbolizes the clarity of
heart as well as the mind and represents
15
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
strength, good luck, good life, honour and
respect so was our Saroj in her words, deeds
and thoughts. So for all of us she was a
universal representation of the spiritual
presence in our lives and representing
holiness, good wishes, purity and positive
energy. She gave us her all and took nothing
as any reward in return.
With the emergence of the sun, life is born and
with this emergence, the lotus flower acquires
a special meaning and timeless significance to
humanity. As the bearer of creation, the lotus
flower holds a special place in mythology, in
nature and in our lives. It symbolizes not only
creation but the timeless and continual
process of birth and rebirth.
We have seen that at night, the lotus flower
goes to sleep but at sunrise with the
awakening of the sun, the lotus flower
emerges to life in the pond.
Just as in nature, life is born and reborn when
people pass away to be born again or
resurrected, it symbolizes an openness and
submissiveness even as the roots are mired in
the muddy worldliness and sin. They
symbolize the surrender of the mind to the
powers above. Our Saroj was no less
significant than these natural and cultural
beliefs.
16
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
So the lotus flower has indeed acquired a
special significance over the centuries in many
cultures. The opening petals of the lotus
flower symbolize the potential for the soul to
expand and blossom into beauty and divinity.
Our Saroj was always ready and eager to
spread her arms and great influence for all of
us.
Let me show some of the meanings of the lotus
flower in different cultures. According to the
Indian culture the lotus flower denotes
prosperity,
knowledge
and
learning,
fruitfulness and illumination. According to the
Hindu mythology, the lotus flower is
associated with Goddess Lakshmi, the
goddess of wisdom and generosity.
She is often portrayed as sitting on a
completely blossomed lotus that gives a sense
of purity to her form. Our Saroj, Our Pretty
Lotus,
was
no
less
significant.
The Lotus flower is viewed as a representation
of spirituality according to the ancient beliefs.
The lotus flower is often viewed as a symbol of
aspirations to rise towards the light as the
roots of the lotus flower has its roots in the
mud but it grows in the upward direction. Our
Pretty Lotus, Our Saroj, aspired and grew
upwards and kept growing until she made us
aware of the values and qualities of humanity.
17
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
According to the Egyptian culture the lotus
flower symbol was known by the name of
'Sesan'. As per the mythology of the Egyptian
people the lotus flower symbolized the sun as
well as formation and revival.
The lotus flower is a representation of pious
ness and fertility. The lily flower in the
Christian culture basically replaces the lotus
flower. The lily flower according to the
Christian culture is associated with Mary who
is known as the queen of heaven.
My final point before we begin the narration is
simple. Our Pretty Lotus, Our Saroj
symbolized all the above and this is one of the
reasons we decided to embark on this path of
publication of this creative art.
Our Saroj, Our Pretty Lotus was indeed the
Queen of the Prasad F a mily. Her name, fame,
claim and frame will be treasured by us with
affectionate love and deep compassion. Our
Pretty Lotus was the unique treasure of our
lives.
18
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
Last Family Dinner with Saroj
Mother with her two sons Jan 2013.
19
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
She was born on 15th August, 1940 in Nasinu,
Fiji and was married on 19th January, 1964 in
Nabua, Fiji. She passed away peacefully on
Thursday, 14th March, 2013 at 10.30 am at
the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital after a
heart failure at 7 am on Tuesday, 12th March,
2014 in my arms at home.
Her Final Farewell was held on Saturday, 16th
March 2013 at the Centenary Memorial
Gardens Brisbane amidst a gathering of many
friends and family members.
20
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
Enlightened Human Beings
believe in Truth, Beauty and
Goodness of humanity.
As enlightened human beings, we should always try to:
Question the dogma;
Question ideology;
Question outside authority;
Question what is taken for granted;
Question what other people hold to be true;
Question your own beliefs that you doubt.
Your questioning should provide answers for you to
appreciate your life and living.
*Then you will fully understand your own rightful
position in this modern world.
*Then you can easily break through the hypnosis of all
social conditioning.
*Then you will attain the state of affluence.
Can we do these? Yes we definitely can.
*Then your life will be full of fun, fortune and faith and
you will lead a life of a champion.
Saroj 2002
21
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
Final Farewell
It was Thursday 14th March 2013 at about 10
in the morning when we had to make a very
important decision of our life and that was to
agree with the team of specialist doctors at the
Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital to switch off
the life support of our beloved Saroj, who had
suffered a massive heart attack in the arms of
her husband in their bedroom at 76 Ghost
Gum Street Bellbowrie after her early morning
shower around 7.00 in the morning.
We had a meeting and reluctantly agreed with
the recommendations of the doctors.
The sad and difficult memories of that
Tuesday 12th March 2013 are very hard to
forget when I held Saroj in my arms and called
000 to get the support of the ambulance that
turned up within 10 minutes of the call with
eight medical personnel. They tried to revive
22
Everlasting Love: Feelings & Emotions
her and took her to the hospital. Saroj did not
gain consciousness but suffered two other
attacks at the hospital and she was put in the
Intensive Care Unit on life support.
My almost 55 years of life partner and my soul
mate was gone within 30 minutes of turning
off of the life support. I was devastated and
lost my most precious treasure and to tolerate
this sad loss was very difficult and
unbearable.
I was shattered and my heart had almost
stopped beating but I had to go on because
Saroj had asked me to conduct the last very
simple rites for her without the unnecessary
traditional ceremonies.