Shashikala Mahajan

After a life of love and learning, Shashikala Mahajan passed on March 21, 2025 in San Jose, California.  She passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by her loving family and following the visits and calls of many lifelong friends.

Born Pushpa Chaudhari, Shashi—or Aai, as we knew her—had a zest for life, an indomitable spirit, and infinite love to give (her husband would add that she was strikingly beautiful).  She made a home two oceans away from her native India and raised three children to appreciate learning and family.  Shashi was the one who cooked the most amazing Indian meals from scratch. Taking shortcuts wasn’t in her vocabulary, Shashi put her heart and soul into researching just about anything to enrich the lives of her loved ones.

Born to Kamal and Premchand Chaudhari, Shashi grew up in Mumbai before finishing high school at St. Aloysius Convent High School in Bhusawal.  She met and married Dhema Mahajan, an engineering student from nearby Nhavi and moved to New Jersey shortly thereafter. Over the next two decades she raised their three children Amol, Deepa, and Meghan while working as a bank teller and in retail, and taking computer science classes. 

In 1995, Shashi and Dhema moved to Northern California to be closer to Amol who was attending college in nearby Berkeley.   Shashi introduced Deepa and Meghan to a host of activities—dance, Broadway, and singing—while scouring local libraries for books about math, healthy eating, and painting. She was an avid hiker, waking up frequently at the crack of dawn to join her hiking group.

In her later years, Shashi leaned into the people and experiences that brought her joy. She traveled the world, exploring over 20 countries. A lifelong student, Shashi was always eager to learn and share her knowledge with others.  She deepened her spiritual practice through retreats and meditation with the Art of Living and explored her artistic side through piano and singing lessons. Above all, she delighted in her grandchildren—Elina, Nikhil, Kaira, Ishaan, and Roshan—who in turn adored their time with Aaji.  Even cancer could not dim her spirit: When 2022 brought remission and a break from chemotherapy, Shashi used the time to obtain her certification as a yoga instructor.

She is survived by Dhema, her husband of 56 years; children Amol (Siresha Chaluvadi), Deepa (Zachary Abrahamson), and Meghan; five grandchildren; and siblings Charu, Vinayak, and Sudhir.