Dipali Sudan, beloved mother and wife, died at home on June 3 of congestive heart failure after a long battle with cancer. She was 82.
An accomplished dancer of Odissi, Manipuri, and Bharat Natyam styles, a passionate teacher of Bengali, and renowned for her dinner parties, Dipali Sudan moved from metropolitan Calcutta in 1959 to the small town of Ithaca, where she established a home and a life for over fifty years.
Dipali Sudan was born October 26, 1934 in Calcutta, India to Binoy Bhushan Ray of Rangpur and Molina Ray of Tripura. She was educated at Loreto House and Presidency College, University of Calcutta, where she earned her B.A. and M.A. In 1959 she met her future husband, Ravi, and after a whirlwind courtship and wedding, she moved to Ithaca where he had taken a position as an assistant professor in the College of Engineering. She later taught at Cornell herself, first in the Dance Department and then, after an injury prevented her from performing, as an instructor of Bengali in the South Asian Studies department where she became a Senior Lecturer.
When she first arrived in Ithaca, she had no idea how to cook (according to her husband). Frankly speaking, she replied, I was trained to be a diplomat's wife-no cooking involved there. Always one to rise to the occasion, however, she determined to master the mysterious art of American cooking, succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, and proceeded to conquer myriad cuisines, to which anyone who has ever attended her dinner parties can attest. Always intrepid, she let precisely nothing stand in her way. Never having sailed in her life, she was an avid fan of the Ithaca Yacht Club, never having watched a football game, she was the mainstay of her Cornell football club.
She is survived by her daughter, Rajani (Chris Morris), her son, Ranjeet (Melissa), and her grandchildren, Anil and Anjali Sudan, and was preceded in death by her husband Ravindra Nath Sudan. She was gracious, talented, and courageous and is deeply mourned by her family and friends. A service to her memory will take place at 3:00 p.m. June 9 at Bangs Funeral Home with a reception to follow at the Country Club of Ithaca to which all are welcome.
Mother, I shall weave a chain of pearls for thy neck with my tears of sorrow.
Rabindranath Tagore
SERVICES Funeral Service
Friday, June 09, 2017 3:00 PM
Bangs Funeral Home, Inc. 209 W Green St. Ithaca, New York 14850
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