Hare Krishna
Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga
The bereavement is deep; the parting is tragic, heartbreaking and painful to accept. No words can fully describe the tragedy of the loss of one so young, one who is so supremely intelligent, talented, vibrant, full of energy and life.
Unfortunately HG’s time and presence with us was snuffed out so prematurely before we could all enjoy the full benefit and association of this trained intellect and dedicated disciple of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj. Above all, HG’s humility will be greatly missed and it shall stand forever tall as an inspirational beacon. Few or none that I know have ever uttered a harsh word of HG Uttama Prabuji and likewise never have I seen or heard of a word of admonition uttered by HG. Admiration and awe of him were the order of the day; neither spoken nor expressed but universally felt by one and all, hence the outpouring of grief, shock, disbelief and sadness on Sunday 19th.
HG stood tall amongst devotees and visitors. A GIANT of a Vaishnava he was, wise and selflessly helping each and everyone who came his way, nay; he went out of his way to accommodate devotees and guests of SJMKL. He was always one of the last to take prasadam at the Sunday Feasts, choosing instead to mingle with the assembled devotees to exchange a few lilas and sharing thoughts and always enquiring lovingly over devotees’ sadhanas. HG was always caring and encouraging in his ways, gently calling forth the importance of discipline in the ways of a Vaishnava and to move north in the quest for KC.
His infectious and inimitable laughter shall linger long in our memory as will his dedication to the cause and service to ISKCON. Never selfish with his knowledge and training; always appreciative of assistance rendered. Ever so quick to chant the holy name in gratitude and blessing, made more memorable by his bright infectious smile, facial radiance and persona. That was HG Uttama Caitanya prabhu, a true leader who will be profoundly and sincerely missed by his beloved devotees.
The feeling of sadness and loss is greater still as we are now not in a position to say thank you in person, for one last time, to prostrate before him in humble obeisance, for HG has indeed given so much to so many. In the days gone by HG would never accept a thank you from devotees but would always quickly brush off our sense of appreciation and admiration to him with hands raised and a chant of His holy name, accompanied by his ever captivating smile. That was the simplicity of HG, all efforts were his but every bit of adulation, gratitude and accolade were for his guru and the cause he served so well and tirelessly too.
HG was a leader par excellence, delegating as much as he could, not for lack of skill or ability but for the far sighted wisdom of training others via participative leadership. Whilst he delegated, HG never let up on being kept in the loop of the on goings and was always there to guide and share his wealth of knowledge and experience. It is perhaps this distant, yet hands-on involvement with all and sundry that prompts devotees to feel so deeply attached to HG and makes his passing ever more difficult to bear and to come to terms with. HG was there for each and every one of us, unselfishly.
HG was eloquent both in English and Tamil, speaking off the cuff and quoting Vedic literature with ease, much to the awe and admiration of all present. HG’s fluency in Tamil must be given its due credit and refle
cted in its true perspective, for a leader such as HG trained himself in the language for want of better service to his congregation. HG’s formal education was in English and BM only. Kudos and my humble obeisances to you, Your Grace, what more can a novice devotee, taking shelter like me, say of your efforts to serve us better.
I remember vividly HG’s zest for ecstatic Kirtan and the sharing of the joy of group participation at the September 2008, Vaishnava sammelan (gathering) in Port Dickson. HG led the Kirtan till the wee hours of the morning, 1am to be exact; full of vigour and energy such that the last mrdanga player, Sriman Biran Prabu almost gave up trying to keep pace with HG; palms and fingers aching. As may be expected, I was late for the next day’s morning mangala arati. HG however, was one of the first to arrive and later chided devotees in a friendly, affectionate way for not finding the discipline in them to make it on time for prayers, even at an auspicious meeting such as that. The sign of a true leader - HG Uttama Chaitanya prabhu.
As a dramatist, HG led from the front and took his various roles as would a duck to water. In June, at a skit in the SJMKL, during the Snana Yatra Festival, HG while dressed as King Indrayumna (less the headgear) made the mandatory general announcements, proceeded to introduce and warmly welcomed new comers to SJMKL (totally oblivious to giggles and laughter of the assembled devotees, who were more accustomed to HG dressed in saffron then in theatre attire) and thereafter immediately assumed the Kingly role upon adorning the headgear. He gave a splendid performance, no less and added much joy and spontaneity to the front row devotees with acknowledging yet impromptu eye and facial gestures as he had done before in his role as Kamsa at Sentral and Dewan Soma ... a committed actor, a dedicated scholar, a passionate teacher, an unswerving vaishnava, a friend and true leader, par excellence.
Your Grace, we will all miss you so dearly.
We pray that Lord Krishna may reward you with a place of eminence at His lotus feet.
Hare Bol!
Sriman Raaj
Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga
The bereavement is deep; the parting is tragic, heartbreaking and painful to accept. No words can fully describe the tragedy of the loss of one so young, one who is so supremely intelligent, talented, vibrant, full of energy and life.
Unfortunately HG’s time and presence with us was snuffed out so prematurely before we could all enjoy the full benefit and association of this trained intellect and dedicated disciple of HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaj. Above all, HG’s humility will be greatly missed and it shall stand forever tall as an inspirational beacon. Few or none that I know have ever uttered a harsh word of HG Uttama Prabuji and likewise never have I seen or heard of a word of admonition uttered by HG. Admiration and awe of him were the order of the day; neither spoken nor expressed but universally felt by one and all, hence the outpouring of grief, shock, disbelief and sadness on Sunday 19th.
HG stood tall amongst devotees and visitors. A GIANT of a Vaishnava he was, wise and selflessly helping each and everyone who came his way, nay; he went out of his way to accommodate devotees and guests of SJMKL. He was always one of the last to take prasadam at the Sunday Feasts, choosing instead to mingle with the assembled devotees to exchange a few lilas and sharing thoughts and always enquiring lovingly over devotees’ sadhanas. HG was always caring and encouraging in his ways, gently calling forth the importance of discipline in the ways of a Vaishnava and to move north in the quest for KC.
His infectious and inimitable laughter shall linger long in our memory as will his dedication to the cause and service to ISKCON. Never selfish with his knowledge and training; always appreciative of assistance rendered. Ever so quick to chant the holy name in gratitude and blessing, made more memorable by his bright infectious smile, facial radiance and persona. That was HG Uttama Caitanya prabhu, a true leader who will be profoundly and sincerely missed by his beloved devotees.
The feeling of sadness and loss is greater still as we are now not in a position to say thank you in person, for one last time, to prostrate before him in humble obeisance, for HG has indeed given so much to so many. In the days gone by HG would never accept a thank you from devotees but would always quickly brush off our sense of appreciation and admiration to him with hands raised and a chant of His holy name, accompanied by his ever captivating smile. That was the simplicity of HG, all efforts were his but every bit of adulation, gratitude and accolade were for his guru and the cause he served so well and tirelessly too.
HG was a leader par excellence, delegating as much as he could, not for lack of skill or ability but for the far sighted wisdom of training others via participative leadership. Whilst he delegated, HG never let up on being kept in the loop of the on goings and was always there to guide and share his wealth of knowledge and experience. It is perhaps this distant, yet hands-on involvement with all and sundry that prompts devotees to feel so deeply attached to HG and makes his passing ever more difficult to bear and to come to terms with. HG was there for each and every one of us, unselfishly.
HG was eloquent both in English and Tamil, speaking off the cuff and quoting Vedic literature with ease, much to the awe and admiration of all present. HG’s fluency in Tamil must be given its due credit and refle
cted in its true perspective, for a leader such as HG trained himself in the language for want of better service to his congregation. HG’s formal education was in English and BM only. Kudos and my humble obeisances to you, Your Grace, what more can a novice devotee, taking shelter like me, say of your efforts to serve us better.I remember vividly HG’s zest for ecstatic Kirtan and the sharing of the joy of group participation at the September 2008, Vaishnava sammelan (gathering) in Port Dickson. HG led the Kirtan till the wee hours of the morning, 1am to be exact; full of vigour and energy such that the last mrdanga player, Sriman Biran Prabu almost gave up trying to keep pace with HG; palms and fingers aching. As may be expected, I was late for the next day’s morning mangala arati. HG however, was one of the first to arrive and later chided devotees in a friendly, affectionate way for not finding the discipline in them to make it on time for prayers, even at an auspicious meeting such as that. The sign of a true leader - HG Uttama Chaitanya prabhu.
As a dramatist, HG led from the front and took his various roles as would a duck to water. In June, at a skit in the SJMKL, during the Snana Yatra Festival, HG while dressed as King Indrayumna (less the headgear) made the mandatory general announcements, proceeded to introduce and warmly welcomed new comers to SJMKL (totally oblivious to giggles and laughter of the assembled devotees, who were more accustomed to HG dressed in saffron then in theatre attire) and thereafter immediately assumed the Kingly role upon adorning the headgear. He gave a splendid performance, no less and added much joy and spontaneity to the front row devotees with acknowledging yet impromptu eye and facial gestures as he had done before in his role as Kamsa at Sentral and Dewan Soma ... a committed actor, a dedicated scholar, a passionate teacher, an unswerving vaishnava, a friend and true leader, par excellence.
Your Grace, we will all miss you so dearly.
We pray that Lord Krishna may reward you with a place of eminence at His lotus feet.
Hare Bol!
Sriman Raaj
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