Chandra Ghandhi Srinivasalu

Born on June 7, 1931, in Coimbatore, Chandra was a daughter of Samanaidu and Ranguluammal, and a sister to Mani and Lakshmi. She lost her father while still young, and from an early age she learned the meaning of hard work which stayed with her for the rest of her life.

She was, above all, a provider. She gave everything she had so that her own children and her sister’s a like would never want for anything. Together with her sister Mani, she raised a large and devoted family. Mani’s children; Leela, Jayakumar, Muthu, and Visalakshi, and her own children; Udayakumar and Indira, grew up side by side as brothers and sisters. It was a bond that endures to this day, across Edmonton and India. She never once let any of them feel they had less.

For many years she poured that same devotion into her grandsons; Arun and Vivek, whom she helped raise in India, keeping them close to their studies and always sending them out the door in a collared shirt, which to her was a small way of teaching respect and dignity.

In 2000 Chandra moved to Canada into the home of her daughter Indira and son-in-law Bala, where she helped raise their children; Keron and Anita. She arrived without a word of English and built a full life anyway. She made friends who became family, and kept faithful company with them by phone. Daily and weekly calls with the a dear friend she affectionately called Mami, and steady conversations with Lakshmi, Indrani, and others, sharing the small news of her days and treasuring every connection, especially in the years when leaving home and walking grew difficult.

Over her 26 years in Edmonton, she became a mother figure to a whole community of family friends whose own mothers were far away in India.

She had a gentle but steady independence that never left her, even as age made things harder. She loved cooking her own food and she was there for every occasion. She never wanted to miss a moment with the people she loved. As it grew harder and not always safe for her to do the things she once did easily so she kept trying anyway, in her own quiet way. Letting go of that independence was hard for a woman who had spent her whole life caring for others. We believe it was that same quiet strength that kept her with us for as long as it did.

She was predeceased by her parents; Samanaidu and Ranguluammal, her sisters; Mani and Lakshmi and her husband; Srinivasalu.

She leaves behind a large and loving family: her grandchildren Sadhana, Aron, Mahitha, Arun, Priyanga, Vivek, Pranesh, Keron, and Anita, and her many great-grandchildren, most of whom she had the joy of meeting.