Rangachari Venkataraman

With profound gratitude for the life and deep sorrow at its ending, we announce the passing of Dr. Rangachari Venkataraman on Saturday, July 12, 2025 with his wife, daughter, niece and cousin by his side.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Vydehi, daughter Indu, son-in-law Vasu, his grandchildren, Vinaya Bhatia (Ankush) and Raghav Vasudevan (Ashley), his great-grandchildren, Govind and Kabir Bhatia, his brother R. Venugopal, and nieces and nephews including N. Sundararajan, R. Seshadri, V. Rangarajan, Jayanthi Srinivas, Ramaa Vasudevan, and Parimala Rangan.

Dr. Venkataraman was born near Chittoor, India, on December 1, 1931, and grew up in the Indian independence movement, imbibing the ideals of service, justice, religious unity, and equality. He was a music-loving child who absorbed the classical traditions of Carnatic music in a household filled with music by his father and his elder sister, R. Vedavalli, a concert violinist. He studied Mathematics at Loyola College, Madras, and went on to get his Ph.D. from Madras University. He pursued post-doctoral studies and a teaching career at the Ramanujan Institute.

In 1957, he met and married K. Vydehi, the daughter of a family deeply involved in Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent protest of colonial rule. In Vydehi, he found someone who supported and deepened his faith and his ideals of community service, as well as his love of music. In 1961, they were blessed with their beautiful daughter, Indu. In 1967, Dr. and Mrs. Venkataraman emigrated to Canada in response to an invitation from the University of Manitoba to teach in the Department of Mathematics. In 1970, they brought his mother, Ranganayaki, to Winnipeg and lovingly cared for her until her passing in 2001.

Dr. Venkataraman was a popular professor who made a point of teaching several undergraduate classes every year, feeling that establishing a solid foundation in mathematics was essential to all professionals. He also became increasingly active in the community as an integral member of Winnipeg’s International Association, the Hindu Society of Winnipeg, and the Sri Sathya Sai organization (which he served in a variety of roles, locally and nationally). He was also a regular volunteer with the Agape Mission, St. Amant, Meals on Wheels, the Siloam Mission and the Harvest Table, the annual Walk for Values event and numerous other service initiatives.

Dr. Venkataraman said many times that he could be a better Hindu in Canada than he would have been in India; here, he could take no tradition for granted but had to develop a profound understanding of the universal truths embodied in the scriptures. In response to the needs of the growing Indian community in Winnipeg, he taught himself how to conduct Hindu rituals, deeply inflected by his own expansive and inclusive faith, and over the next 40 years, he conducted more than 100 weddings all across Canada, the US, the UK and India, as well as naming ceremonies, initiations, housewarmings and other celebrations. The ceremonies he created were deeply poetic and inspiring to the participants and audience members of all faiths.

A devoted father and grandfather, he became the mentor and teacher of many young families, teaching Indian classical music and spiritual traditions to generations of children and adults. His plays on spiritual themes, filled with humor and music, enacted by the children and adults he trained, became a beloved tradition in the community.

Seeing the energy and enthusiasm of young people in Canada and the United States in learning Carnatic music, Dr. Venkataraman teamed with Sri Venkat Subbaya Maddali and Dr. G. Venkatadri, to create a definitive compendium of the music of Thyagaraja, one of the tradition’s most revered composers. The book was made especially useful and accessible to students in North America through accurate transliteration and poetic translation of the Telugu lyrics.

Dr. Venkataraman also used his knowledge of Tamil culture to teach the Thirupugazh tradition of devotional music to devotees at Hindu temples in Canada and the US.

To the very end of his life, even after multiple strokes confined him to his bed, Dr. Venkataraman was a much beloved mentor and godfather to families all across Canada and the United States, exemplifying the principle of “Love All, Serve All.” His memory will live on in the lives he has transformed by the gentle example of a life faithfully and generously lived.

Cremation services will be held on Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 9:00 AM at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home at 1291 McGillivray Blvd, Winnipeg, MB. The service will be live streamed at this link:

https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/113164

Details of the celebration of life will be communicated through the Sai Centre of Winnipeg and the Hindu Society of Manitoba.