Soul Transition

"I am blissed out," she kept repeating shortly after I met her. I remember her entry into the dining room last February as if it were yesterday. Like a few other seemingly random points in time, that moment will always seem like yesterday. It was so vivid as the room literally became brighter as she entered. I remember thinking, "Who is this woman?" and "Where did she come from?" I had been in India for 4 days and had not yet met Mrs. Gupta. Not knowing Bharat, her husband, well enough at the time, I did not ask his family's whereabouts.

Full of energy and excited about life, Roopa had just returned from the Art of Living 25th Anniversary celebration just outside of Bangalore. She took a seat at the dining table and from that moment forward, whether I liked it or not, I was under Roopa's care and spiritual education, both from a Hindu and world religion perspective. Roopa was not trying to be my teacher, she was just being Roopa. In the course of her being, she was an unexpected teacher in my life.

Arriving in the Mumbai airport at midnight yesterday, the familiar scents brought India screaming back to the forefront of my memory. It wasn't a bad smell, it is just a smell that I associate with India. Waiting at the Mumbai airport for four hours for my connecting flight to Delhi left me time to hear the familiar clearing of the back of men's throats as they coughed up pollution choking phlegm from the depths of their esophagus and most of the time spit it into the airport garbage can.

At the Delhi airport I waited an hour and a half for my Mom's plane to arrive. Many months earlier we planned a trip to India, spawned mostly by the wedding of Roopa's daughter, Simran. We built a trip around the wedding to take advantage of the long trek. On our way to the hotel from the airport a dense fog loomed over Delhi. It was daybreak and the sun appeared deep in the fog like a smoky Van Gogh painting.

The streets were the least crowded I had ever seen. A few cows lingered on the roads and people wrapped in clothing from head to toe moved about quickly on the streets as the chill of winter gripped Delhi. Walking into the hotel lobby, another good reason to travel with Mom occurred to me. It was the nicest hotel in which I had stayed in any of my solo travels, especially in India. A large welcoming lobby with doormen, roomservice and plush padded carpet in the rooms, this was a new experience in India for me.

Jet lagged from our overnight flights, we kicked off our India tour with a nap. On the streets outside the hotel, the familiar symphony of horns played as I drifted off to sleep. It was the India I remembered and loved. Still, there was one question nagging at the back of my mind. How was Roopa?

Since I had been traveling for several weeks, I was unable to call Shubi, Roopa's daughter, to check on Roopa's condition. Last I had heard, Roopa was getting dialysis in a surprise turn for the worse. Up and until that time, Roopa had been exceeding doctor's expectations. It was in the two weeks prior to my departure that Shubi's tone sounded less optimistic. Shubi had been at her Mom's side since she was diagnosed with liver cancer last March. Day in and day out, treatment after treatment, Shubi was intimately involved in coordinating Roopa's care.

At 4 a.m. this morning, India time, unable to sleep due to the time difference and earlier nap, I checked my e-mail where I found an e-mail from Prakash, Roopa's nephew who initially introduced to me to his family, responsding to my inquiry on her health. Three days before my return to India, Roopa transitioned on January 5. After a long and strong fight, Roopa's body was finished with the strain and drain from the large dosage treatments.

Back in India, I feel as if I could call her today and she would answer with her usual joyous tone. That is one of the strange aspects to death for those of us who are still among the living. Of course, with Roopa and consistent with many other beliefs, she may still be among the living, just on a different plane. And if anybody was ready for a soul graduation, it was Roopa. She had reached a space within herself self described as "pure bliss". Ironically, not long after that point in time, she was diagnosed with cancer. It was as if she was being called home. Tonight she is home. For Roopa, home is the light of her spirit transitioning to the next phase, whatever that phase may be.

She was a modern, well educated Indian woman from the state of Bengal. Her spiritual beliefs/understanding was a blend of religious/spiritual practices to which she had been exposed and studied. Not a stereotypical Hindu woman, Roopa defied traditional roles without acting defiant. She was just herself, strong, independent and determined.

Why she went out of her way for me I may never know. What I do know is that it was life altering and mind opening. I am deeply saddened that I will not be able to sit with Roopa this visit as it was worth the trip alone. For the brief weeks that we spent together I am grateful.
(Roopa shows me "Krishna pose").

Roopa's spirit lives on in the lives of those that she touched, of which I am one. Riding in the backseat with her across traffic ridden Mumbai and outside of the city limits on several occassions, we had a lot of time to talk about life and death. Roopa feared neither. She had found inner peace and it could not be contained. It was a contagion of the highest order.

Over the past year, many of you e-mailed me or asked me about Roopa's condition. You told me you were praying for her recovery and were touched by her spirit despite having never met her. I shared those sentiments with Roopa, who never let it go to her ego, but smiled and was appreciative. She was touched that people whom she had never met were saying prayers for her. For me, it was touching because the bond of the human family was at its best, always a beautiful feeling.

The world lost a big soul in the physical world, but if Roopa has her way, her generous spirit will continue on its path spreading unconditional love and joy. May her spirit continue to experience the bliss in her transition.