Obituary of Sukla Mahalanobis

Sukla Mahalanobis, 76, of State College, passed away on April 8, 2015, at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville. Born July 26, 1938 in Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal, India, she was the daughter of Saradindu and Indu Sarkar (nee Ghosh). She was married to Amarendra Krishna Mahalanabis who preceded her in death in 1988 in State College. Sukla is survived by four children, Abhijit Mahalanobis and his wife, Priti, of Orlando, FL, Sumita Desai and her husband, Premal, of Altanta, GA, Arijit Mahalanabis, of State College, and Sonali Mahalanabis and her wife, Pushpa Jayaraman, of Boston, MA; and four grandchildren, Priya and Nikhil Mahalanobis, Aditya Desai, and Kishan Patel. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her two younger brothers, Bhaskar Sarkar and Shankar Sarkar. Sukla received her bachelor’s degree in history from Handique Girls College in Guwahati, India. She later attended Gauhati University, also in Guwahati, India, where she earned a dual master’s degree in history and philosophy. In 1981, Sukla and her family moved from India to the United States, first to Santa Barbara, CA for one year before moving to Bethlehem, PA in 1982 and later to State College in 1984. After a few years in Tucson, AZ, she moved to Seattle in 1999 where she lived until moving back to State College in 2014. Sukla was an avid reader and enjoyed studying a wide range of subjects, including history, astronomy, physics, religions, and philosophy. She was a member of Casual Encounters, a ladies’ group in State College, where she enjoyed discussing various intellectual and academic topics. She would also engage in lively discussions on various topics with her children, and often with visitors to her home. She loved Indian classical music and dance, and was always an eager attendee at concerts and recitals of these arts. She often hosted visiting artists from India in her home. Sukla was the force that held her family together through good times and bad. Her caring and nurturing nature, her wise advice, and her unconditional love and unwavering support and encouragement extended to all those in her family, and often beyond. Many foreign students at Penn State, as well as various members of the local Indian community adopted her as a mother figure in their lives. A versatile and talented cook, she loved to throw dinner parties and welcome guests into her home. A memorial service celebrating Sukla’s life will be held at 3 pm on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County, 780 Waupelani Dr., State College, PA. Memorial contributions may be directed to Society for Indian Music and Arts, 261 Varsity Lane, State College, PA 16803, in memory of Sukla Mahalanobis. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.