Shyamala Bhattacharya

Shyamala Bhattacharya

March 6, 1925 - February 26, 2024

Shyamala Bhattacharya passed away peacefully at Danbury Hospital in the early morning of Monday, February 26^th. She is survived by her two daughters, Neela Bhattacharya Saxena, and Monalisa Chattoraj, her three grandchildren, Harsha Saxena, Ananya Chattoraj, and Shiv Saxena, and her two sons-in-law, Raj Saxena and Amit Chattoraj.

Shyamala, known as Ma, Didoon, or Mashima by family and friends, was the child of Satish Chandra Chowdhury and Subasini Chowdhury. She was born on March 6, 1925 in Mallikpur, Sunamganj, Sylhet, East Bengal, Undivided India. Before Partition she and her family moved to Hailakandi, Assam in northeast India.

Ma was a happy and curious child who loved school and completed her education in college to become a primary school teacher for 9 years. She married Nripendra Kumar Bhattacharya of Dharmanagar, Tripura in 1959. Nripendra, Babu to his children, worked in government positions in Uttar Pradesh. Shortly after their marriage, they returned to U.P. where they raised their two daughters.

Babu had a transferable job, so the young family relocated often within the state. Each move was an adventure that came with new friends and challenges. Throughout that time Ma maintained a happy home where community, culture, and education mattered the most. Babu retired in Allahabad where both daughters completed their PhDs from Allahabad University.

Ma was always proud of their accomplishments but was happiest when they were married and gave her three wonderful grandchildren. After her children were settled Ma and Babu returned to Dharmanagar with frequent trips to Kolkata and later to the United States and Canada. In 2009 Babu passed away in his birthplace and Ma came to live with her daughters in New York and Ontario.

She was always a happy presence in Brewster where she befriended the neighborhood children and explored the green vistas of Putnam County. Ma maintained a strict regimen and took great care of her health and appearance. Into her late 90s, she could be seen dancing in the backyard or running up the stairs.

Even while living in the United States, she maintained close contact with her family in India. She kept tabs on everyone’s progress, health, and welfare. She also maintained a vigilant eye on the travails and romances of the Bollywood set and stayed current with world affairs. She was often seen sneaking away with The Economist magazine only to return them when Raj was scouring the house for his dinnertime reading. She also loved the Tim Horton’s coffee that Amit regularly made for her.

Her great joy was to be with her family and their friends. At every get-together, she was the center of attention from the youngest on. She had a special fondness for her great nieces and nephews: Ankita, Rahul, Avi, Samir, and Sasha. Each interaction was met with a twinkle in her eye. The same was true for Amit’s brother Bob, his wife Manoo, and their sons Ayush and Ishan. And Raj’s family: Babli, Sanjay, Savita, Rachna, and Amit.

Finally, it was a great joy for her to see her grandchildren, Ananya, Shiv, and Harsha, with their partners Eric, Skye, and Katie. Their happiness was the true testament to her life's work. We will miss her daily presence in our lives, but her legacy of strength, joy, persistence, and laughter will always be present for us and all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions in Shyamala's name should be made to: Graceworks, 6 Rushmore Circle, Stamford, CT 06905: https://www.graceworksforall.org/