Girija Shukla

Girija Shukla, daughter of Pandit Ramsurat and Luxmi Tripathi was born on February 10, 1943. She arrived in America from India on September 16, 1965. She departed this earth peacefully in her sleep and in her home in Madison, Wisconsin, on September 16, 2024. As her son, Raj said, "She really stuck the landing."

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Triveni P. Shukla; daughter Rekha (Greg Victor); daughter Renu (Eric Zaretsky); son Rajan (Victoria Frank); seven grand children, including Nikhil Victor (Mackenzie), Peter Victor (Camryn), Melina Zaretsky; Daniel Zaretsky, Asha Shukla, Mira Shukla, and Leora Shukla; and her great-grandchild, Girija (Gia) Victor.

She lived for her family. She taught us how to be.

Years ago, our family would write stories to share with each other each year during the holidays. Her stories are shared here as images. Excerpts are below.

On her childhood in India: "We had a very simple life. People felt there was nothing missing; they had no worries. Mom and Dad were very religious and God-fearing people. They taught us how to be good, honest and respectful of others... They taught us to believe in God. They set an example to be honest and not to hurt others."

On her arrival in America: "I came to the US in September 1965 with 6-month-old baby Rekha in my lap... Leaving my parents and other family members was hard enough but landing in America was the hardest. Unfamiliar place, people, language, culture, foods and so many other things I cannot even count... The winter came and the first snow was very exciting. I will sit down by the window and watch snow falling for hours. It looked so beautiful. Looking back I often cry and then again, sometimes I laugh. I was fortunate to see men land on the moon... I saw lots of changes in US right in front of my eyes, good and bad. Mostly good though. Now this America is our home. I have learned a lot and still learning. I am not ignorant anymore and have changed myself a lot. My way of thinking is very different than before. I have much more confidence in myself. I am proud of it all. What makes me most proud is the fact that my children and grandchildren don't have to have such experience of 'fun' in hardship. This story, I believe would inspire them to fight even bigger problems. What I went through was very small."

On her faith. "I accept whatever comes in my life. It is a good lesson to learn and, maybe, it is a warning to all of us… Life is very precious. We should take care of ourselves as much as we can. Family and support of friends is very important in life. It helps a lot. It heals a lot. It makes us strong. It will be hard to go through day-by-day life without faith, family and friends. Pain and pleasure is part of a good life. When we share our thoughts... we secure strength and simple ability to live. This teaches us how to handle ourselves when times get tough… What a wonderful life."

If you would like to make a gesture in her honor, consider a donation to World Central Kitchen (https://wck.org). She was the best cook on the planet (sorry, Jose Andres) and loved to feed people.