Vijay Shanker Goel Ji was the Banyan of our family, who brought us goodness and prosperity. Standing tall in majesty and grace his family branched out in myriad ways. The Banyan never dies, it continues to spread, grow and give shelter to all who come under its fold. The family pledges to continue with the good work and vision given by him.

Vijay ji’s journey, of this lifetime on earth, began on 4th of January 1955 in a small village in Rajasthan. His parents moved to Delhi in 1959 and his first struggle began early at the age of 13 when he lost his father and had to shoulder the responsibility of his mother and siblings. Successfully graduating from the prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi, he looked after his father’s work, getting guidance form his brother-in law Late Shri S P Singhal.

1980 saw him make the humble beginnings of an Indian handicrafts export business with his younger brother Surinder ji by his side. The space, the size of a garage block, with two employees to begin with, was the foundation of the Goel Exports Empire.

Along with his dedication to gruelling work schedules what never left him were his commitments to his family his social obligations, and his unflinching faith in the Almighty Lord Shiv. His dedicated devotion to Shivji, along with his humble demeanour and childlike simplicity earned him the name “Shankar ji” amongst all. His visionary entrepreneurship, social networking and willingness to adapt to new technologies saw him diversify business models. With his mathematical genius and sharp memory, he never used a calculator or a phone diary!

The health challenge of 1991 when he suffered a lethal brain stroke during one of the exhibitions in Spain, hampered his speech and gait, but left him richer in his zest for life. He continued his journey, guiding the family to keeping them together in strong bonds of co-existence, which he said were the hallmark of success and happiness. Any dissension was considered a retrograde step to growth, and he felt that looking after the family was the biggest blessing of life. He followed a spiritual and religious regime since 1970. A person in need was never turned back by him.

A born genius, success came to him in many ventures, but arrogance never touched him. He stared life with a pair of shoes a shirt and his large joint family, all in a single room, but all subsequent achievements, fame, awards and popularity made him remain humble and down to earth all his life, respecting his roots and loving his family and home. He will be deeply missed by all of us and the gap that he has left can never be filled. We know in our hearts that he has found his place at the lotus feet of his loving Deity Lord Shankar.

A day after his departure, Kinshuk and Divya’s younger daughter, Meera, shared a message with her parents, “Dadu has said that he has reached God safely and is happy. He says he has become a star right above our home. He is looking down upon us and smiling at us.”

We pray for his continued guidance and blessings. He will always be missed and may God give us the strength to walk the path etched by him.