We, the Members of this Condolence & Memorial Meeting held at CRG on 21 September 2013, deeply mourn the sad demise of Dr. Krishna Bhattacharya (Samaddar), lifelong educationist and founding member of the Calcutta Research Group, who passed away on 6 September 2013. She was a victim of Alzheimer’s.

A scholar of Indology, Krishna had done her doctoral dissertation on hundred years of Indological historiography in Bengali language. She began her career as a school teacher in Kolkata; later joined the Institute of Education (P.G.) for Women, Chandernagore, and subsequently the Institute of Education (P.G.) for Women, Hastings House, Kolkata. Finally, she became the first Director of Rabindra Mukta Vidyalaya – the open school system in West Bengal. At this stage, the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease began to surface.

The pace of her illness accelerated, confining her to home for the rest of her life. But even in her moments of acute suffering, she braved it and showed strong resilience to fight back – a quality which remained intact till the final moments of her life. Yet, despite immense human care by her beloved husband, a group of devoted nurses, and the best available medical treatment in the city, her life came to a halt in the evening of 6 September 2013 at 9.15 pm.

She was a dedicated educationist throughout her life and gave special attention to spreading girl child education – particularly among the deprived sections of society. For this she was loved by colleagues and students alike. Above all, her softness, polite nature, humility, and caring attitude for all were known to whoever got to know her. She became endearing for these qualities. She was a cultured person with a deep attachment to music, especially, the songs of Tagore.

The members of today’s meeting shall cherish forever the fond and everlasting memories of Dr. Krishna Bhattacharya (Samaddar). Her ideals, caring nature, and struggles with life and adverse health will continue to inspire girl child educationists and endear her memory to all. This meeting offers heart-felt condolence on her demise and deepest sympathy to her bereaved husband and family.