Dr. Rajen Barua, PhD

Dr. Rajen Barua, known to his friends and family as “Raj,” passed away on July 2, 2021 at the age of 75 in Houston, Texas. He is survived by his wife Ajanta Barua, who he was married to for 46 years; daughters Anita Ankhee Barua and Renita Raxi Barua; sons-in-law Ashish Alx Patel and Sean Fuad Harb; and grandchildren Ciaren Ashish Patel and Viaan Ankhee Patel.

Dr. Barua, the son of the late Debendra Nath Barua and the late Kanchan Bala Barua, was born in Jhanji Assam, India on December 1, 1946. He graduated at the top of his class from Assam Engineering College with a degree in mechanical engineering and earned his master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Houston. He was a licensed professional engineer and a member of the American Association of Mechanical Engineers. He also pursued his lifelong interest in literature and history by earning a doctorate degree in history from Dibrugarh University.

Dr. Barua first visited the United States in 1976 as a Rotary International Exchange Scholar representing Eastern India and Bangladesh. The program, held in Oklahoma State, led to him receiving an honorary citizenship from the state. In 1979, after working for Oil India Limited for eleven years, he immigrated to the United States to work as a senior and lead mechanical engineer for various engineering firms.

A prolific writer, Dr. Barua published six books, authored countless articles, edited two magazines, and translated dozens of literary works into Assamese, including Jawaharlal Nehru’s letters to his daughter Indira Gandhi. Of particular note are his book, Buddhism in Assam, which was based on his PhD thesis; his editing of the of the Assamese magazines Saneki and Luitor Pora Mississippi; and his articles published in the Assamese magazine Prantik. He has authored six additional books that are also expected to be published.

Dr. Barua was a lifelong activist for the welfare and development of Assam and the contiguous states of Northeast India. In 2008, he established the US-based philanthropic organization Friends of Assam and the Seven Sisters, an international think tank aimed at promoting the economic revival and growth of Northeast India. He also relentlessly sought to inspire students in the region to reach new heights. In 2008, he coordinated with NASA to develop a live streamed question and answer session between Indian students and astronauts in space.

In his free time, Dr. Barua loved playing billiards with his grandchildren and traveling around the world with his wife and family. He will be remembered for working tirelessly to give them a beautiful life in the United States.

‘’I am a humanist by birth, an engineer by education,

now trying to be a literary bedouin in real life.’’

~ Rajen Barua

"Charaiveti, charaiveti, is the Mantra of Life.

Do not stop, do not stay, but be on the move all the time.

This is the Shuvangkori Mantra of Life."