Anam K. Govardhan

Anam K. Govardhan
Anam K. Govardhan of Bethel, Connecticut died peacefully at his home on September 11, 2025. He was born on March 1, 1945 in Nagari, Andrapradesh, India, the son of Krishnaswamy Naidu and Kodhamma Anam. He attended schools in Nagari and eventually Madras (now Chennai) where he received his first PhD in English from the University of Madras in 1981. He received a second PhD from Northern Illinois University in 1994. Anam is survived by his loving wife, Wanda Reynolds, of Bethel and was predeceased by Vijaya Lakshmy with whom he had two children who survive him: Kumara Govardhan (Anne Marie) of Rutland, Massachusetts and Lakshmi Magavi (Rahul) of West Hartford. He is also survived by five grandchildren: Harper Govardhan, Vijaya Magavi, Priyanka Magavi, Shiva Magavi, and Yogi Magavi, as well as his sister Chamundi of Chennai, India. He was predeceased by nine brothers and sisters. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews in India and around the world and his beloved nephew, Kishore Anam of Farmington Hills, Michigan, and niece, Dhana Anam of Chennai, India.
Anam loved learning and teaching and earned degrees from the University of Madras, India; Central Institute of English of Hyderabad, India; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. Before coming to teach at Western Connecticut State University from which he retired in 2020 with the distinction of Professor Emeritus in English, he worked at Pondicherry Zoo in India as caretaker for the big cats. He taught at Ramat Polytechnic in Maiduguri, Nigeria, and The University of Maiduguri in Nigeria (1981-1984). He served as student advisor at the Madras Regional Centre of the U.S. Educational Foundation at the American Consulate in India (1987-1990). He was a Fulbright Scholar in 2011 when he traveled to India and Hong Kong to teach and lecture. In addition to his teaching, he worked with the Educational Testing Service to develop, administer and grade ESOL exams around the world and with The College Board to develop, administer and grade SAT college admission tests. He has published more than 100 articles on the English language as well as developing and presenting a multi-part television series teaching English as a Second Language on Astro TV in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and has lectured throughout India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan.
Funeral plans are private, but donations can be made in Anam's memory to Regional Hospice in Danbury.