Mahadev Ghatak (Mahadeb Da), a loyal husband, father, grandfather, and friend to all who needed one left his earthly home on Saturday, October 30. Born in 1947 in Bihar, India, Mahadev grew up in a loving family of 3 brothers and 1 sister and in 1978 moved to the United States, arriving in the Washington DC area in the early 1980s, where he lived since. Although Mahadev was a dedicated employee of AMTRAK for years (and a lover of all things train related, including the Washington Metro and Amtrak train trips!), he found his passion throughout life as a volunteer priest and dedicated devotee of the Hindu goddess, Kali. Mahadev loved to share his joy and blessing from "Ma Kali" with everyone around him. Most recently, he was a priest at the Washington Kali Temple for years where he dispensed numerous blessings and thoughtful advice to anyone who was in need of some support, no matter what the reason. When he wasn't at the temple, Mahadev was also an avid reader and lover of history, philosophy and the origins of the universe. He was also always willing to take part in a good action movie, with pizza and a coke. Out of all his titles in life, Mahadev was most proud of his title as husband, father, and recently, grandfather. He is survived by his wife of over 40 years, Jui, his daughter Natasha (Vijay) and his granddaughter, Arya, in addition to 2 brothers and 1 sister who reside in India. While he will be dearly missed by all, we take comfort in knowing that he has returned to the loving embrace of his "Ma Kali" and that he is at peace.