Pramod Khandelwal

Pramod Khandelwal,77, of Carmel, passed away September 13, 2023. He was born in Agra, India to the late Omkarnath and Prayag Khandelwal on August 6, 1946. 

He is survived by his wife, Manjula Khandelwal; son, Pradeep Khandelwal; daughter, Maneesha Khandelwal, son-in-law Erik Sternisha (husband of Maneesha), daughter in law Sumitra Khandelwal (wife of Pradeep) and 5 beautiful grandchildren, Nikhil (7), Shaan (7), Avani (7), Anya (4), and Asha (3).

Services will be held at Aaron Ruben Nelson Mortuary, 11411 North Michigan Rd, on Saturday, September 16th at 11 AM. 

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Pramod will be remembered by most as a humble, 'gentle giant'.  A handful of his closest friends and family will remember him having the ironic nickname of 'Big P'.  Beyond stature, there was nothing 'Big' about Pramod.  He never wanted or asked for recognition, did not seek reassurance on the most important decisions of life, or was waiting for a pat on the back for his many accomplishments.  He lived and enjoyed life by having meaningful personal connections, whether at work, home, or in the community and doing all that he could to make sure his immediate and extended families could live better lives than he ever had. 

After growing up in India and finishing his undergraduate degree at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Pramod took the leap to come to the US in 1969.  He started in Seattle at the University of Washington, where he completed his Master's degree.  He returned to India, ultimately marrying Manjula Khandelwal in May 1974 and returned to the US (starting in New Jersey) with her in 1975 with little to their name or in their pockets.  His commitment to supporting his family back home and building one in the US with Manjula drove him to hop from Jersey to New Orleans and ultimately to Indianapolis, where he worked at Allison Gas Turbine from 1978 as a materials engineer until finally deciding to retire in 2015.      

Regardless of what happened through the years, his heart never wavered.  He continued to have long and deep conversations with his closest friends and family while also ensuring he ‘reminded’ his wife, kids and grandkids (in the most unique of ways) of the need to do certain things in their lives.  We always knew it was with the best of intentions and came with tremendous love.

Gentle Giants are sometimes missed or dismissed in the crowd, but not this one.  Pramod’s impact on the lives he touched will never be lost nor will he ever be forgotten. 

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