Dr. Anjali Ram

In Loving Memory of Dr. Anjali Ram

A light has passed from this world, leaving only love in its wake.

With hearts both broken and blessed, we announce the peaceful passing of Dr. Anjali Ram on January 25, 2026.

Anjali's story began in India, where dreams took root in a young heart filled with curiosity and courage. She journeyed across oceans to pursue those dreams, earning her PhD in Communication from Ohio University before finding her calling at Roger Williams University. There, for years, she became more than a professor-she became a beacon, illuminating minds and awakening spirits with a presence that was nothing short of luminous.

To her family, she was everything. The devoted daughter of Radha and IP Gopal Ram. The loving sister of Arun. The nurturing mother who poured her heart into Amit and Anusha. The cherished wife who built a life of meaning alongside Sunil Bhatia. Her beloved cousin Malini Nair and her entire family formed the sacred center of her world. Guided by deep spirituality, Anjali moved through life with warmth, grace, and a love that knew no bounds.

As a scholar, she gave voice to the unspoken, exploring how cinema and culture shape our deepest sense of identity and belonging. Her acclaimed book, Consuming Bollywood, and over 25 published articles revealed the poetry hidden in migration, media, and meaning across borders. Yet for all her scholarly brilliance, Anjali's greatest legacy lived in the classroom. There, she didn't simply teach-she transformed. She helped students discover their own light, their own potential, their own worth. In 2021, Roger Williams University honored her with the Excellence in Teaching Award, though her truest reward was always witnessing those she taught begin to shine.

Her compassion extended far beyond the university walls. She served on the board of Friends of Shelter Associates, dedicating herself to improving sanitation and dignity in underserved communities in India. For ten years, she taught at HARI Vidya Bhavan, nurturing young minds with patience and devotion. And in Barrington, she was a cherished pillar of the Desis community, bringing people together with her gentle spirit.

But perhaps what those who knew Anjali will remember most was her extraordinary gift for presence. A radical listener, she made everyone-everyone-feel safe, valued, and deeply loved. Her gentle words carried healing. Her compassionate actions spoke what words could not. Her serene spirit created sanctuary wherever she went. To be in Anjali's presence was to be truly seen, truly heard, truly held.

Though she has departed this earthly realm, Anjali's radiant spirit remains woven into the fabric of our hearts. We honor her not only in our grief, but in how we choose to live: with open hands, generous hearts, and the same unconditional love she gave so freely to this world.

Cremation Service Sunday, February 1, 2026, at 1:00 PM in the Carpenter-Jenks Funeral Home, 659 East Greenwich Avenue, West Warwick, RI. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hope Health Hulitar Hospice Center in Providence, RI, in memory of Dr. Anjali Ram, appreciating the care and compassion they offered. Please use this link to donate: https://www.hopehealthco.org/ways-to-give/donatenow/ and select Hope Health Hulitar Hospice Center from the designation drop-down menu.

May her soul be filled with loving-kindness. May her soul reside in deep and natural peace. May her soul be liberated.

Om Shanti

Message from Roger Williams University to Campus: Our Community Mourns the Loss of Professor Anjali Ram

In loving Tribute

Dr. Anjali Ram | Professor of Communication, Roger Williams University

Dr. Anjali Ram, beloved daughter, wife, mother, teacher, and distinguished community leader, passed away on January 25, 2026.

Born on September 27, 1966, she grew up in India, where her early experiences shaped a lifelong curiosity about culture, identity, and the power of communication to promote social equity and justice. She went on to earn her Ph.D. and devoted more than 26 years to a celebrated career as a faculty member at Roger Williams University, where she remained until the time of her passing.

Dr. Ram was loved by all who encountered her. She was the heart of the Communication Department at RWU - a steady presence, a wise mentor, and a compassionate colleague whom we came to rely on as a source of strength and empathetic leadership. Over the course of her time at RWU, Dr. Ram was a senior leader in the Communication and Media Studies program. She was instrumental in revising the major to include an emphasis on public advocacy and introduced courses such as Intercultural Communication, Qualitative Research Methods, Gender, Media and Globalization, and Bollywood. Her pedagogy and teaching practices were grounded in the promotion of equality, inclusion, and social justice. Teaching through this lens, she challenged students to question established and normalized ideologies and encouraged them to use critical thinking and self-reflexivity to be agents of change.

Dr. Ram embodied student-centeredness and consistently worked to ensure that all her students were supported. She was generous with her energies and time and was deeply attuned to the emotional needs of students, particularly in the years following COVID. As a faculty advisor and mentor, she was adored by her students, many of whom credit her with shaping both their academic paths and their sense of self. In recognition of her extraordinary commitment to teaching, she was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2021. Dr. Ram tirelessly served as the leader of Roger Williams University's chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication Honor Society. An active and respected voice in conversations about pedagogy on campus, she was an integral component of the Diversity Inclusion Fellowship (DIF) program where she

worked with other faculty who were committed to centering equity and inclusion in their classrooms.

Dr. Ram was a prolific and passionate scholar whose research focused on the formation of gendered and transnational identities within the contexts of migration and global media. A recognized and respected voice on Asian popular culture, Hindu femininity, and the South Asian diaspora, her scholarship examined what it means to live, belong, and communicate across cultures in a world shaped by the political, economic, cultural, and social consequences of global media flows and intensified cross-border migration. She spoke and wrote extensively on Bollywood, South Asian migration to the United States, and South Asian femininities, with particular attention to their intersections with race, politics, and identity in mainstream American television.

Dr. Ram was the author of Consuming Bollywood: Gender, Globalization and Media in the Indian Diaspora, a seminal work that explores how the spectacle of Bollywood cinema is used to renegotiate cultural meanings of home, gender, belonging, and identity. Her contributions to the field also include numerous journal articles and book chapters that continue to inform and inspire scholars, students, and practitioners alike. She was also an engaged member of the National Communication Association (NCA) and the Eastern Communication Association (ECA).

Above all, Dr. Ram cherished life beyond her professional roles. She was deeply committed to service. She served as a board member of the nonprofit organization Friends of Shelter Associates, alongside her husband, Dr. Sunil Bhatia, where she supported fundraising and education initiatives focused on sanitation and dignity in under-resourced communities in India. She also had an enduring love for Indian films, cooking, and time spent with her family - sources of joy that grounded her and reflected her generous spirit.

Dr. Ram is deeply mourned by all who loved her and her passing is a profound loss for many. She is survived by her husband, Sunil; her children, Anusha and Amit; her mother, Radha, and a wide circle of extended family and friends. Her legacy of intellectual rigor, kindness, sense of humor, compassion, and selfless service to her community, and particularly to the South Asian diaspora, will continue to inspire generations to come. The RWU community benefited greatly from the work and presence of Dr. Ram for over 26 years.

The impact of her advocacy for equitable learning, inclusion of all voices, and continued quest for knowledge will remain present as we mourn her loss.

Details about a RWU celebration of life honoring Dr. Ram will be shared with the community when information becomes available.