Swarup Lata Mathur

(1935-2022)

Swarup Lata Mathur passed away peacefully, on Friday, May 27, 2022. Swarup Lata, was born in Daryaganji, Delhi, India at Victoria Hospital on August 16, 1935 to (late) Kirpa Narain (father) and (late) Shanti Devi (mother). She started her elementary studies at St. Mary’s Convent, in Allahabad, India. From there she went to Dwarka Prasad School in Allahabad, where she completed her high school. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Vocal, Indian Classical Music, Hindi Literature & Education History, from Allahabad University in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India, and a master’s degree in Hindi Literature also from the University of Allahabad. She was a meritorious student and gave several public performances of classical Indian music for which she received wide acclaim.

She was married to (late) Dr. Bhagat Prasad Mathur on January 18, 1956, in Allahabad, UP, India. She lived with her husband and his family in Bharatpur, Dosa, and Jaipur, India till 1969. She moved to the USA in 1969 and lived in Queens, New York City, Norwich and Colchester, CT.

In NYC & mostly in Norwich, CT, she, and her husband were both very involved in the Indian community, family activities and other social groups. She & her husband hosted many families as they came to the US to start their lives. As the host parents/family, they made sure that new families were always comfortable and felt at home. Swarup Lata was a nurturing figure, ready with a welcoming home, warm food, a quick smile, and a ready laugh. Many will always remember her Holi (celebration of spring) parties well! She was a creative cook, finding different ways to cook Indian dishes and sweets, with ingredients found here in the US, often with no Indian stores in sight. Her samosas, chaats, homemade paneer dishes and other dishes, along with gulab jamuns, jalebi’s and raj katchories made their way into everyone’s mouth!

Swarup was a devoted mother to her daughter and mother-figure for her extensive extended family. She was an active mother and present at all of Sujata’s academic and extracurricular activities, encouraging her to express her creative side. She had a special bond with her granddaughter, Maya Victoria. She and Maya knew how to enjoy chai (teatime) and it was definitely a big part of their lives! Swarup made sure that Maya knew how to properly eat a mango & enjoy exotic fruits such as lychees, persimmons and rambutan. Maya loves to eat Indian foods and learned Indian traditions from her Nani (grandmother) that will stay with her for a lifetime!

After her husband passed away in 2012, Swarup Lata lived a quieter life with her loving daughter, Sujata, and her granddaughter, Maya, and her son-in-law Victor. As Swarup Lata’s health deteriorated, her daughter cared tirelessly and lovingly for her mother. She was tech-savvy and used social media to keep in touch with family and friends near and far. Despite her health ailments, Swarup Lata remained jolly and upbeat; exhibiting strength and resilience that are an example to all.

Swarup Lata is survived by her daughter Sujata, son-in-law Victor, granddaughter Maya Victoria and many close relatives who all loved her very much and will miss her dearly.

The family will be holding private services.

In lieu of flowers, donations to one of the following charities in her memory are appreciated:

American Cancer Society https://www.cancer.org/

St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital https://www.stjude.org/

American Heart Association https://www.heart.org/