Geeta Devi Agarwal, 1940–2025
Geeta Devi Banwarilal Agarwal, a lifelong homemaker, DIY enthusiast and foodie, passed away at 85 early on June 19th at her home in Surat. She had made lots and lots of pickle, dal-baati, chutney, roti and other dishes throughout her life. A lot of these recipes were perfected by her during her lifetime. She also was involved in making a lot of dresses for laddu gopal (Krishna Idols) and crochet purses among other DIY pursuits in her life.
She lived in Rajasthan, Warangal and Surat for major parts of her life. In each of these places, she turned not only her house into a home, but did the same for other people. From setting up marriages to helping raise kids, she was helpful and charitable. She was the go-to reference for most of the family regarding the procedure for rituals.
She was an avid foodie. As far as her health allowed, Manchurian, garlic bread, pizza, soups, pastas etc were heartily consumed. The only English she learnt was litreally the name of dishes she liked. In the two family functions, a month before her passing, she met everyone and had almost all the cousins bring her a slice of pizza each. She had learnt to eat with a fork and knife to enjoy these things authentically.
She was also an accomplished cook. Despite her health, she insisted on cooking the lunch as well as the morning tea. Occasionally and seasonally, she made pickles and chutneys and panas.
She was obsessed with making dresses for laddu gopal during her 70s and made hundreds of beautiful outfits. She learnt this skill from a variety of sources and taught it to many others. She also learnt crochet during the same time and made purses for almost all the women in the family.
She lived life to the fullest, eating and cooking food she loved till her last day. Despite being widowed for 27 years, with the passing of her husband Banwarilal Agarwal in 1998, she has been brave, resilient and hardworking.
Over the past 5 years, her health had deteriorated. While she was admitted a few times, it was never very serious. She was not bedridden for a single day in her life. She suffered from depression and anxiety along with other old age based mind disorders; which she faced with her characteristic strength and grit. However, when the end came, she died of natural causes in her sleep. She is survived by a huge family, blood and otherwise, she has cultivated over the years, including her 3 daughters and 2 sons: Kausalya, Manju, Krishna and Maluram, Maneesh; their spouses, grandchildren as well as family on her husband’s side; along with co-workers of her family who enjoyed her homemade tiffins, friends of her grandchildren who enjoyed her hospitality and colleagues she met at the temple who enjoyed her company.