KANAK DUTTA

DUTTA--Kanak,

pioneering Indian-American educator and political activist, died of Alzheimer's on September 3, 2018. As a high school teacher at Rutgers Preparatory School, she introduced Asia and Africa to the conventional history curriculum. In the 1970s, she advocated for survivors of domestic violence. In 1981, as a candidate for State Assembly, she was the first Indian woman to run for office in New Jersey, probably in the U.S. Born in India on May 28, 1927, she received a B.A. from Calcutta University and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania after she arrived in the U.S. in 1959. As a student participant in India's independence struggle, it was she who garlanded Gandhi on his visit to Kolkata. She was also a co-founder of the Association of Indians in America, the first organization of its kind. Pre-deceased by her beloved husband M. Jan Dutta and son-in-law Bhupender Kaul, she is survived by her daughter Kavery and grandchildren Usha and Ashok. With her warmth, determination, and commitment to social change, she opened doors that others would have left shut.