Dr. Kamal Dev Verma

Dr. Kamal D. Verma, longtime professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and critically acclaimed scholar of South Asian literature, passed away peacefully on March 3rd with his family by his side. He would have turned 92 in April.

He is survived by his four children, sons and daughters-in-law, nine grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. His wife, Savitri, and eldest child, Rajiv, predeceased him in 2011 and 2016 respectively. He cared so much for his family and friends to the very last day. An amazing role-model, with courage and heart, Dr. Verma left his mark on his thousands of students, on the field of South Asian literature with his extensive writings, including three published books, and on those he helped guide in their careers and immigrant journeys through his incredible selflessness and wisdom.

Dr. Verma was born in 1932 in Punjab, India. He was the eldest child in a large family, and the first member of his extended family to attend college. He would receive his BA from DAV College in Jalandhar, Punjab in 1951, followed by his BA in teaching from Agra University in 1953 and his MA in English from Punjab University in 1958. In India, he would become the principal of a teacher’s college where he served until 1963, when he departed for the United States on a Ford Foundation Fellowship to obtain his Specialist in Education degree at the University of Northern Iowa. He then pursued further professional studies in literature, leading to his PhD from the University of Alberta at Edmonton, Canada.

He married Savitri Verma in 1957. Savitri was also a teacher and head of a women’s college in India. They had five children, Rajiv, Roma, Rita, Amita and Richard, all of whom pursued varied careers in business, medicine, and the law. He was a loving and committed husband, father, and grandfather, giving everything he had to the betterment and empowerment of his nuclear and extended family and friends.

Dr. and Mrs. Verma and their five children settled in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1971, where Dr. Verma joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ). He taught at UPJ for 42 years, and then remained as an advisor to the President, as well as editor of the South Asian Review, a publication he founded.

Dr. Verma moved to Bethesda, Maryland in 2013, where he and his daughter Amita resided. Not one for a true retirement, Dr. Verma then wrote a critically acclaimed book on noted Indian writer Mulk Raj Anand, a book that also included a series of letters between Dr. Verma and Mr. Anand over 15 years. He released the book in the U.S. and India in 2018 with significant critical success.

Dr. Verma was a towering figure who had an impact on so many. He fought for Indian independence, paved the way for South Asian scholars and literature in the United States, and cared for his family and friends at every turn. Services will be held this Saturday, March 9th at 11:00AM at Joseph Gawler’s Sons Funeral Home located at 5130 Wisconsin Avenue N.W., Washington, DC. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Verma Family Scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown