Obituary of Indrani Roy

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On Tuesday, August 10, 1943, Indrani (aka Nila or Nilu) Ganguly was born in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, as the eldest daughter of Dr. Jeetendra Nath Ganguly and Mrs. Shanti Ganguly. From the moment Indrani was born, she regaled the world with her perfect comic timing and her infinite compassion for others. The story goes she was born two months premature quite unexpectedly after a hornet stung her mother Mrs. Shanti Ganguly. After the untimely passing of her glorious father, her mother, sisters Snigdha (aka Mila; married to Mr. B.N. Chatterjee) and Manjushree, and brother Bhashkar (married to Alokananda with whom they share their wonderful son, Indroneel) moved back to her mother’s maternal home in Jamshedpur, Bihar (now Jharkhand). Jamshedpur would always remain a sweet spot in her heart.

On February 21, 1969, she married her beloved husband Dipti Prokash Roy in Jamshedpur. With his usual wit and sincerity, her dear husband called her “my Rani (Queen) because she is not Indra’s wife.” They made a loving home for almost fifty-three happy years, rolling throughout Canada (i.e., Toronto, Brantford, and Leamington, Ontario) and the United States (Salisbury, Maryland, Athens, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, and recently, Virginia).

Indrani was so loved by all members of her family by birth and after marriage.

Indrani’s darling sister-in-law Swastika Chakravarty loved her as her “Ma” since her mother and Indrani’s beloved mother-in-law Mrs. Bimola Roy passed away several years ago. (Swastika is married to Tushar Chakravarty with whom they share two children, their son, Satyajit [married to Akshata] and their daughter, Anuja [married to Sparsh Agarwal])

Indrani’s adored daughter Debjani and her cherished son Deborshi (married to Isha) described her as a woman whose most compassionate and selfless act was to give birth to them with the intention to teach them to be kind and loving to all, to overlook “faults,” and to let them choose to live a happy and joyful life everyday and always.

Her beautiful and much-loved daughter-in-law Isha described her as “the most compassionate, kind, generous, and fun loving second mother a girl could ever have. I never thought of her as my mother-in-law, but Ohio Ma. She is indeed organizing the heavenly potluck and everyone is enjoying her macher jhal, payesh, and chutney.”

On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, in Fairfax, Virginia, she passed away peacefully after a long illness. Her family and countless friends throughout India, Canada, the United States, and Europe will miss her so much for her selfless generosity, humorous wit, and compassion. They are so blessed to have received her love and they know her marvelous soul is one with God now – without a doubt.

The Roy Family is thankful to the doctors and nurses who cared for her and for the outpouring of love, condolences, and prayers from extended family and friends at this time. Indrani’s love was a blessing to everyone who knew her.  

If you wish to commemorate Indrani Roy’s life, please consider donating to a Parkinson’s disease research organization of your choice in lieu of flowers.