Venkatram Dharmarajan

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather and guru, Shri V. Dharmarajan, 80, who passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep at his home in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania on the early morning of December 16th, 2023. He was preceded in death by his brother Ramaswamy.
Shri V. Dharmarajan was born on November 30th, 1943 in Mumbai, India to Venkatram and Subbalakshi Iyer and was the youngest of three siblings. He was the devoted husband to wife Visalam, proud father to Sekhar and Sheila, father-in-law to Seena and adored grandfather to his five grandchildren, Anand, Anil, Rohan, Nikhil and Anika.
Shri V Dharmarajan completed his studies at Ruia College in Mumbai after which he obtained a highly sought after position with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. He then came to the United States in 1968 for his graduate studies and received a PhD in Chemistry from Louisiana State University. After a brief postdoctoral stint at Tulane University, he then moved to Pittsburgh where he spent the bulk of his career at Bayer – for nearly thirty years - as an industrial hygienist, retiring in 2009.
More important to him than his career was making a lasting contribution to the Hindu community in America. He was one of the original members of the Greater New Orleans Hindu community. Upon moving to Pittsburgh, he was a founding member of Chinmaya Mission Pittsburgh (CMP) and a trustee of the Sri Venkatewara Temple. He took great joy in imparting his passion for and knowledge of Vedantic studies and Indian culture to children and adults alike. He served as Senior Bala Vihar teacher for more than ten years and was actively conducting three adult Vedanta study groups in the Pittsburgh area up until the time of his death. He was also author of a daily email digest to hundreds of recipients worldwide entitled "Vedanta Pearls", imparting an early morning dose of philosophical wisdom to his readers – a fitting title for the "gem" of a person he was. His passing is a huge loss not only for his family, but also for the general Indian community which held him in high regard because of his stature, Vedantic knowledge, experience and service to the community.
Funeral details are as follows:
Wednesday, December 20th
Beinhauer Funeral Home
2630 W Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15216
11.30-12.30PM Viewing
12.30PM-1.30PM Tributes followed by Hindu funeral services
We welcome any special photos or videos you want to share - please upload to the following link:
https://www.tributeslides.com/up/16991995867172
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Chinmaya Mission Pittsburgh at https://chinmayamissionwest.com/chinmaya-mission-pittsburgh/