On May 14, 2012, eight devotees connected to the ISKCON temples in Mumbai died in a tragic airplane crash. The devotees were on their way to a pilgrimage at Nepal’s Muktinatha Temple, located at the foot of the Thorong La pass in the Himalayas. The devotees who passed away were: Kunjabihari Dasa and his wife Madhupriya Dasi and son Shivam; Muralimohana Dasa and his brother Gagan; Gaurakrishna Dasa; and Gokularani Dasi and her daughter Taruni.
Kunjabihari Dasa supported the ISKCON Chowpatty temple devotees with his jewelry business, while his wife Madhupriya was a record-breaking book distributor for many years. Both were devotees for over twenty years, and regularly organized and hosted major spiritual programs.
Thirty-three-year-old Muralimohana Dasa, a professional fashion designer, was known for designing beautiful outfits for the Deities at ISKCON Mumbai’s Chowpatty and Juhu temples, as well as his devoted care of his own large home Radha-Krishna Deities. His brother Gagan, 27, was also a thriving young member of the Mumbai ISKCON community.
Gaurakrishna Dasa, a disciple of Bhakti Raghava Swami, had left his successful career as a software engineer in the USA to become a celibate monk at the Chowpatty temple. There, for the past six years, he took on many responsible services, including heading up the Deity dress-making department, helping organize Rathayatra festivals, running Radhanatha Swami’s website, and handling all the temple’s IT needs.
Meanwhile Gokularani Dasi, who had been a devotee for more than twenty years, also passed away in the accident, along with her thirteen-year-old daughter Taruni.
Taruni was a child actor who had appeared in nearly fifty major TV ads, including a successful series of commercials for Rasna soft drinks along with Bollywood actress Karishma Kapoor. She also appeared in several feature films alongside major actors such as Hrithik Roshan and Amitabh Bhachchan, with whom she starred in the 2009 hit Paa. At ISKCON Chowpatty, Taruni was also known for performing in numerous Krishna conscious dramas, and for her appealing and uplifting personality.
We request all devotees to pray for their continued progress in the loving devotional service of Radha and Krishna.