Kul Bhushan

On Aug 5, 2023, Mr. Kul Bhushan left this earthly plane from his home in Cleveland Heights, OH at the ripe old age of 87.  He was husband to Neerja, Father to two daughters, Mira (spouse Lamar) and Gita (spouse Joe), and Much Beloved “Chachaji” to countless nieces and nephews and their progeny, as the last remaining sibling of his generation.  Bhushan was born on January 10, 1936 to Parvati and Charan Lal Kapur. He was from a small town that he lovingly spoke of, called Bhera, now located in Pakistan. He and his family emigrated to Delhi from Bhera at the time of The Partition. 

In the early 1950’s while finishing up his high school education, he had the unique opportunity to meet leaders of India’s Democracy, Prime Minister Jawarlahal Nehru and President Ragendra Prasad.  He is pictured with them in the photos provided. He then went to college at Lucknow University, where he obtained two masters degrees, one in Social Work and the other in Urban Planning.  After his Indian college education was complete, to fulfill his own deceased father’s wishes that one of his children be educated abroad, he made the journey to the United States in 1961.

He started life in the US at Wayne State University, in Detroit, MI, where he first met his wife during their studies. Upon graduation, he got his first social work job in Cleveland, Ohio, during the height of The American Civil Rights Movement. He had the amazing opportunity to meet The Honorable Martin Luther King, Jr. who engaged him in conversation as MLK had, himself, returned from his famed trip to India to meet The Mahatma Gandhi. Bhushan’s work involved engagement with the Greater Cleveland community, where he connected community civic leaders with inner city neighborhood groups and helped to fund many civic and social community activities. He was friends with city council men and women, including the famed Fannie Lewis, Carl Stokes, and Forbes family members.

In 1965, he married his wife, Neerja in traditional Indian style in India. Thereafter, they had two daughters, Mira and Gita.

Bhushan was a deeply spiritual man, motivated by integrity and duty. He was a dedicated devotee of Paramahansa Yogananda & his organization, Self Realization Fellowship (SRF) in the United States and known as Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) in India. His spiritual connection was so strong that he and Neerja returned to India after a few years of marriage to live and serve in the YSS ashram in Ranchi for about 2 years with the intention of permanently settling in India. For health reasons they returned to Cleveland, which became their lifelong home.

With an academic background in social work and the Indian talent of networking, Bhushan made a lasting impact on the lives of many others, both Indian and American.  He served as a juvenile probation officer in Detroit to help put children on the right path and rose in the ranks of his career becoming the director of a United Way organization that funded local Cleveland inner city neighborhood groups for their various community projects.  

Not only did he perform valuable community services to the Greater Cleveland community, he was, simultaneously, involved in the Indian community. He was the first President of the first formal Indian Community organization in Cleveland, known as Federation of Indian Community Associations (FICA). It was important to him that all Indians be connected, rather than be divided into their various regions, as they are in India. He succeeded in playing an integral role in starting this organization, developing, strengthening and participating in it. He actively engaged and connected with fellow community members from ALL regions of India and participated in various regional events.

Similarly, he recognized and appreciated all religions of the world and though he maintained loyalty to his Guru, he hosted countless spiritual monks from various faiths in his home and arranged for audiences to listen to and absorb their words of love and wisdom. He himself visited different houses of worship as a guest speaker to educate the various congregations about tenets of Hinduism, and the similarities of all religions, just as his Guru’s teachings taught. For many years, his home was home to weekly worship services for the Cleveland SRF congregation.

He also put his Guruji’s words into action, to the best of his ability. If a person was suffering from an illness or loss, he was there to comfort them. He was a true friend, there in good times and bad. Known for his giving nature, he was always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. Besides these lofty intentions, he also enjoyed good food and a gathering of friends. He was an extrovert by nature and relished meeting new people. He always found a connection with almost everyone he came across, and he brilliantly connected his contacts with each other. Bhushan loved his family, both here and in India and kept in close contact with them, though he was the last of his siblings. He loved his spiritual family in Cleveland and the world. He was supportive, spiritual, sincere, & steadfast with all who were around him. His kindness and warmth touched the lives of many and he will be missed and remembered fondly by many.

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