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Haragauri Gupta Obituary

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Haragauri Gupta

Kitchener, ON

August 9, 1925 - September 26, 2016

Haragauri Gupta Obituary

Haragauri Narayan Gupta August 9, 1925 Bhagalpur, Bihar, India September 26, 2016 Waterloo, Canada A gentle soul passed away early Monday, surrounded by the love of family and friends and the beautiful religious and secular music of his beloved Bengal. Haragauri is mourned by his only child, Neena, his son-in-law, Brad Svorkdal and his precious grandchild, Kirsten (“Kirby”) Joya Svorkdal, as well as extended family, friends, former colleagues and students across the globe. Predeceased by his wife of almost 60 years, Manjula Gupta (nee Roy) (d. June 15, 2012), his parents (Amrita and Sarajubala), his four sisters and his six first cousins with whom he grew up. Haragauri had a wonderful childhood in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India in a busy and happy household with his sisters, cousins, extended family and farm animals to keep him company. His father, Amrita Narayan Gupta, taught English and History at the Jenkins School for Boys, where Haragauri began his academic career. In 1942, he was awarded a Government of Bengal Scholarship for his exam performance in Mathematics, Sanskrit and Geography. Amrita did not want Haragauri to leave Cooch Behar to pursue higher education in a busy city, because Haragauri was so absent-minded. Amrita died unexpectedly of smallpox. With his mother’s blessing, Haragauri continued his education. Amrita’s misgivings were not unfounded, as Haragauri was notorious for losing important papers, glasses, bags, passports, train tickets, etc. throughout his life. Haragauri joined the University of Calcutta, studying Mathematics, Logic, Sanskrit and English. In 1946, he completed his Masters’ Degree in Pure Mathematics, winning the University’s Gold Medal for his brilliant performance. He also completed a second Masters’ Degree in 1949 in Statistics. Haragauri was a gifted lecturer and taught at a number of academic institutions in India, including the Hamidia College, National Defence Academy, Dum Dum Motijheel Academy, Ashutosh College and the University of Calcutta. As a young man, Haragauri witnessed first hand the independence movement of India and one of his fondest memories was travelling to Delhi with a third-class train ticket to watch the splendid and historic fireworks on India’s first Independence Day (August 15, 1947). Throughout his life, he remained deeply committed to the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, whom he saw as the moral force behind India’s independence. Haragauri met his wife, Manjula Roy, at the University of Calcutta and they married in 1952. An Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung brought him to the former West Germany in the late 1950s and a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of California (Berkeley) for his doctorate under the legendary logician, Alfred Tarski, in the 1960s. His doctoral thesis, Contributions to the Axiomatic Foundations of Geometry, is recognized as an important contribution to the field of geometry. In 1966, he started work at the Regina Campus of the University of Saskatchewan (now the University of Regina) as a professor of mathematics. Haragauri was a popular lecturer, taking the time to remember the names of students and astonishing them years later by remembering their names, classes taken, their grades and where they preferred to sit in the lecture hall. He is remembered by his former colleagues as a generous scholar with a famously organized mind and an infamously disorganized office. Haragauri and Manjula Gupta spent almost 45 years in Regina Saskatchewan, which became home. A rich and broad circle of friends became family. Haragauri co-founded the India Association in 1969, which continues to flourish in its rebranded form. He was a devoted member of the ISKCON and Hindu Temples of Regina. His bookcases are filled with religious and philosophical texts of all traditions. Although mathematics was his profession, Dr. Gupta was a polymath and a polyglot. He could converse about the History of Science, Linguistics, World History, World Religions and Politics with complete authority. He loved learning and his happiest hours were often spent lost in a new academic tome in which he made careful notes and corrections in pencil in multiple languages. He could speak English, Bengali, French, German and Hindi/Urdu and managed to teach himself bits of Latin, French, Spanish, Farsi, Polish and Arabic. He was a happy world traveller, avoiding package holidays, but walking through museums, cathedrals, temples, city squares and historic forts with his guidebooks, maps, and his trusty phrase books. During his long life, Haragauri met impressive world leaders such as Jawaharal Nehru, John F. Kennedy, Mother Teresa and Queen Elizabeth II, but he was, at heart, happier in simple settings with his friends and family. He loved ice cream, Julie Andrews movies, and fireworks. Haragauri was not without his faults. His fashion sense was odd. He often wore a cozy woolen scarf even in the heat of the summer, and added a lopsided hand-knitted toque in the winter. Manjula’s efforts to try to improve Haragauri’s fashion sense were unsuccessful. Haragauri was baffled by the simplest domestic tasks, such as boiling water, operating a broom or using a microwave. It was a blessing that Manjula took care of almost all of the details of day-to-day life. Although beset by some of the usual illnesses of old age, he enjoyed his last years in Waterloo. He watched his only grandchild grow into a thoughtful and gorgeous teenager. Many of his friends and family members travelled long distances to visit him or called him on a regular basis to ensure that Haragauri was kept in the loop with the latest news. The family thanks the exceptional staff of Luther Village on the Park and his personal caregiver, Lisa Perry. Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Regina in memory of Haragauri. A private cremation has taken place in accordance to Hindu traditions. A memorial service in Regina will be announced later.

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