Group Captain Ravi & Neelam Malhotra, close friends of Ashish’s parents who have been a strong support for the entire family.

It was about 25 years back in 1998 that we (my family and me) first met Ashish. At that time, he was a young man who had come to Bangalore during vacation from his engineering institute, and our families drove down to Puttuparthi to seek His Holiness Sathya Shri Sai Baba’s blessings. Bubbling with energy and enthusiasm, he was of completing his degree and a successful life in his profession.

Time went by, and it was in early 2020, that we received the news of his ailment and the serious health challenges that had been found recently. The response by his parents (Rajiv and Suman) was immediate who clearly recognized that their personal presence, nursing and support was essential for him to recover from this dreaded situation. Flying immediately to US to be at his side, they took upon themselves the lead to restore his health.

For the next three years, they were always with him (except for the brief disruptions caused during Covid pandemic and Visa restrictions) to ensure that he got the best mental, emotional and psychological support besides the medical treatment. Helping in the daily chores, cooking the food of his choice, ensuring full comfort, assisting in his physical exercises, coordinating with doctors, nurses and physiotherapists, sharing his happy and sad moments constituted their life in a foreign land and culture.

Endless visits to the hospitals, timely administration of medicines and close watch on the progress was the focus of their activities. Never allowing their own advanced age to hinder this mission, they maintained their focus on their aim to get Ashish back to normal health. Their efforts, support and prayers produced good results, and Ashish had progressed from the state of compete bedrest to meaningful physical and mental activities including professional contributions.

With the grace of God, it was quite satisfying that Ashish had recovered remarkably by November 2022, when they had to leave the US because of visa restrictions.

In addition to the parents, the support extended by his sister’s family (Sonia, Ashwini and Aditya) was equally strong. Resolute and calm, they not only were with Ashish in the US, but also provided all logistical and material support to their parents during this tough period without ever allowing their personal or family constraints to come on the way.

Since he was well on his way to recovery, the news of Ashish passing away in January was shocking and devastating for everyone. In this period of profound grief, the family again responded resolutely performing the last rites in the US and then the rituals in India. For the parents, it has been a tough journey of conceptualizing, living and then immersing their loving child, and God has given them the strength and virtue of performing it.