Lalitha Chandrasekhar, 102, wife of Nobel laureate S. Chandrasekhar, passed away in Chicago, on September 2.
She was born on October 15, 1910 here in a family of social reformers. She studied Physics at Presidency College, where Chandrasekhar was a year senior to her. They married in September 1936 and thereafter lived in the U.S.
Ms. Chandrasekhar actively supported Professor Chandrasekhar in all of his scientific endeavours and achievements. In appreciation, he dedicated his book Newton’s Principia for the Common Reader to her in 1995, Malathi Ramanathan, a niece of Professor Chandrasekhar, told The Hindu on Friday.
Music enthusiast
Besides being deeply concerned at the social and political issues in both the U.S. and India, Ms. Chandrasekhar was a music enthusiast and she knew how to play the flute in the Carnatic style.
She wrote the foreword to Part II Volume 7 of the Selected Papers of Professor Chandrasekhar as well as two essays for anthologies published on him after his death. Ms. Chandrasekhar was invited to speak at NASA in Cape Canaveral when the Chandra satellite was launched.
Cremation will be held in Chicago on Sunday, Ms. Ramanathan said. As per her wishes, it would be devoid of rituals.
