Madhu "Bhau" Godsay

HARI OM

Madhu ‘Bhau’ Godsay was born in 1932 in Mumbai, India. Growing up as one of youngest of 7 siblings in the Godsay Family, Bhau was an extremely intelligent student always eager to think of novel solutions to a problem. As next door good neighbors, Bhau used his witty remarks and charming personality to impress Sunita tai (née Pramila) when she was just 5 years old. Soon they fell in love and by the time they were teenagers they were determined to get married even though there was opposition from mom’s family. Bhau’s game plan to marry his sweetheart and win over mom’s family support was to pursue higher education abroad. After completing his formal education at UDCT in Mumbai, he married the love of his life Sunita Tai in 1955 and went for higher studies to Manchester, UK and Queens University in Canada to complete his Masters degrees. Sumitra and Milind were born a few years later. The Godsay family moved to Canada from India in 1959 and to the USA in 1969. He earned his MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University in 1985 while working full time for International Paper. As one of the pioneer settlers of Indian origin in Canada and USA, the Godsay family adapted to the new environment while maintaining their core middle class values while growing up in India. Although Bhau Godsay’s father and elder brother were no strangers to the teachings of Vedanta, Bhau’s desire to start learning about the Vedic scriptures started when he turned 50 after both children were married. The quest to gain deeper knowledge convinced him to take an early retirement from work at the age of 62 and dedicate the rest of his life to gaining a true understanding of Vedanta.

During the past 30 years, Bhau has touched the lives of so many of us, including everyone in this room, young and old, in all parts of the world by his divine knowledge, by dedicating his whole life to spiritually uplift our community, his selflessness to make a difference in people’s lives, and most importantly by always being there to help each one of us when we needed him the most. He leaves behind his teachings in Advaita Vedanta and he has over the years imbibed in us his core values in discovering the true nature of oneself that will be remembered by us forever.

On the lighter side Bhau enjoyed playing bridge, chess, watching golf, vacationing on a beach, cracking funny jokes with puns and spending time with his 5 great grandchildren.

He is survived by his son and his family, Milind and Preeya Godsay, Surbhi and Zach Lipkin-Moore, Viraj Godsay and Aná Simon, and by his daughter, and her family Sumitra, Vasant and Leena Chaphekar, Aditi and Ren Apolinar, and Sonia and Andy Caswell, and by his 5 great grandchildren Zara, Maya, Tejas, Neha and Aiyana.

OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI

A prayer service and viewing for Madhu will be held Monday, November 4, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar, Austin, TX 78752.