The Bhawani Anantaraman Foundation was created by Dr. Anantaraman for his wife Bhawani and two daughters, Aruna and Rupa, who were killed in the Air India bombing of 1985. As a result of this life-changing event, Dr. Anantaraman started the Bhawani Anantaraman Foundation in an effort to encourage education for children and especially underprivileged children.
Hear Dr. Anantaraman’s story at the video on the right.
The Bhawani Anantaraman Foundation aims to create a better life for students through education while providing students with the opportunity to develop their talents in areas of music and arts.
Read “The virtuoso girls I’ll never forget”, a blog post by Adriana Barton in memory of her friends and fellow musicians, Aruna and Rupa Anantaraman.
Published September 8, 2020
The Bhawani Memorial School opened in 1999 in Tamil Nadu India. The goal was to provide high quality education to students, regardless of their socio-economic status. Over the years, as the school grew, the Foundation has focused on promoting music for children, and in doing so, has created a number of music scholarships and bursaries for violin, viola and cello players. The Foundation also provides financial support for low-income and disabled students. Bhawani Anantaraman Foundation student scholarships include:
December 26, 1929 – March 5, 2023
It is with heavy hearts and gratitude for his life that we announce the passing of Anant Anantaraman. He is finally reunited with his beloved family, wife Bhawani and daughters Aruna and Rupa who perished in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in June 1985.
Overcoming a horrific tragedy, he served as an inspiration to us as he cast aside rancour and retribution to dedicate the rest of his life to supporting children and youth in their pursuit of education and music.
He established a school in Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, India available to children in the area at no cost. Over the years hundreds of children benefitted from his dedication and passion for teaching. He placed as much emphasis on literature, music and care for the environment as he did in the areas of science and mathematics.
In Ottawa which he considered his hometown, he set up scholarships for students pursuing music at all levels. As was the case with the school in India, hundreds of local students were recipients of his generosity and love of classical music. This cemented the legacy of his daughters who were considered brilliant and gifted musicians.
Dr. Anantaraman earned numerous degrees, including two PhDs culminating in post-doctoral studies at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. His professional career included teaching positions at Simon Fraser University in BC and once he moved his family to Ottawa, he started a promising career as a Research Scientist at the Department of National Defence, where he worked on a number of leading-edge initiatives. With patents, presentations at two to three international conferences every year and countless published papers to his name, Dr. Anantaraman was considered an expert in his field. He wrapped up his career at the University of Ottawa where he was Director of Exploratory Research in Energy Systems.
He leaves behind many from all walks of life in Canada, the US and India who mourn his loss.
Donations in Dr. Anantaraman’s honour can be made to the Bhawani Anantaraman Foundation, a fund administered by the Ottawa Community Foundation.