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The Passing Away of Tamal Krishna Goswami
By Andrea Michell

I was once a gurukuli kid, and with the passing of Srila Gurudeva (Tamal Krsna), it reminded me of what that meant to me. My first remembrance of Gurudeva was around 1979. I was7 years old. I vaguely remember a big bus that had Radha Damodar Deities in it with Srila Gurudeva.

I patiently waited at the door for him to call me in because I was finally getting a devotee name. I carried that name for 10 years, and despite the awful things that happened in Gurukula, I can say that Srila Gurudeva is one of the reasons that I harbor no hard feelings. I am not trying to join the lawsuit bandwagon.

Gurudeva's recent passing reminded me of why I am who I am. He cared about the children. He was not the average sannyasi that never took the time to speak to the gurukula kids with genuine concern. Gurudeva always took the time to meet with the children. He never acted too busy. I've cooked for him, I've read to him, I've cleaned his room, just to name a few things that Srila Gurudeva taught me. Even when things were tough in Gurukula, Srila Gurudeva called me one day to encourage me and to remind the ashram teacher that she was wrong.

But mainly I remember that Srila Gurudeva continued to be concerned about me even when I stopped practicing Krsna Consciousness completely. He questioned about my college progress and how things were. He was an extraordinary person to me and he will be greatly missed by this ex-gurukula kid.

© CHAKRA 3 April 2002