Dad’s impactful journeys made him so special and so unique: Rich Verma

In a moving eulogy to his late father, Prof. Kamal Verma, Rich Verma, the highest-ranking Indian American in the State Department, said “the unbelievably important, difficult and impactful journeys that he took” made his dad so special and so unique.

Among them “was the long and challenging physical journey that took him from a small village in Punjab, to across the ocean, landing in New York City in 1963, as he reminded us so many times with only ‘$14 and a bus ticket in my pocket,’” recalled Verma, the first and only Indian American thus far to serve as Washington’s envoy to New Delhi.

“And, then off to the University of Northern Iowa, then to Saskatchewan, to Edmonton, Alberta, and then with five kids in the wood-paneled station wagon….to Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1971….where a new home was established, a new community was embraced, and a new country welcomed my dad, my mom and all of us,” he said.

READ: Indian American Prof. Kamal Verma launches new book (October 6, 2017)

“What an uncertain, yet incredibly fulfilling journey across the world – and he saw it through, from start to finish.  And he took that journey for his family, not for himself,” said Verma.

Prof. Kamal Verma, an acclaimed scholar of South Asian literature, died of natural causes last week in Washington on March 3. He would have turned 92 in April.

Prof. Verma taught for 42 years at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) in Pennsylvania. He was also one of the founding members of the South Asian Review and the South Asian Literary Association — two nationally acclaimed scholarly efforts aimed to promote Indian and other South Asian writers and ideas.

“How does one honor nearly 92 years on this planet, and do it in my allotted six minutes, and cover everything I’ve been thinking and feeling over these past few days?” wondered Verma “at a sad, but inspirational service for my dad” on March 8.

READ: Richard Verma confirmed as Deputy Secretary of State (March 31, 2023)

Turning to senior Verma’s “journey for knowledge and learning; and that journey continued to the very last day,” he recalled his dad’s brothers and sister grew up in a small village in Northern India.

“The thought that my dad would end up with multiple academic degrees, three published books, and thousands of students – that was never supposed to happen….but this young man was gifted by God a special talent — a curiosity, a passion for learning, a need to explore the nuances of both mathematics and English literature – how does someone excel in both subjects?” Verma said.

“He was always a few steps ahead of us….a deeper thinker….with a richer understanding of ideas and principles that mattered.  These are the lessons he tried to impart upon us, but we were not the best of students, I think,” he said.

“And these were the lessons he imparted upon his actual students in his classroom for decades, and they truly excelled.  His love of learning was only matched by his love of teaching – this particular journey was about giving back to others.  And he made such a difference to so many” Verma said.

READ: ‘This is an exciting time to be in New Delhi,’ says Richard Verma (June 5, 2015)

“And, finally, there was the journey for justice and social inclusion,” he said.  “Yes, there was something that impacted him deeply about growing up in a colonized and caste-divided land, living through a difficult period of partition, and then of Indian independence.”

“It so shaped his writings, whom he studied, and what he advocated for,” said Verma noting, “Two of his books were exclusively focused on colonial and post-colonial ideas among South Asian writers and philosophers. He brought his own lived experience, as well as his deep intellect, to the effort.”

“When I look back on this person – my dad who lived in this small town and was from a village – I realize now, he had such stature, such standing, and such impact on the field of study and in driving for greater social inclusion and justice for the marginalized,” he said.

“I had no idea this very special person was living right there among all of us as our dad – only later in life did I fully appreciate this aspect of his journey,” said Verma.

“And, I should have seen it earlier, because it also manifested itself in him helping others, new immigrants, new students, new faculty – making them feel included, making sure they didn’t face unfairness or injustice,” he noted.

“And he did so with his signature low key, this isn’t about me approach – just reach a handout, and see if someone needed assistance, a calming word, a bit of guidance,” recalled Verma.  “That’s why anyone of South Asian descent traveling across or near our home in Pennsylvania ended up in our living room.  They were so welcomed and supported.”

“It’s why he was always so quick to remind all of us that indeed ‘we were all from the same place’ – whether a taxi driver in New York City or a Prime Minister – yes, it was about geography, but more importantly, he wanted to be sure we knew that we all hail from a place that requires the same degree of respect, dignity and equity,” said Verma.

“Dad, thank you so much for standing up for what was right, and difficult, over and over again,” he said noting, “This may have been his most important journey.”

“All of these journeys required some risk-taking, creativity, but above all they required bravery and courage,” said Verma describing his father as “a brave person, with a spine of steel.  He could not be knocked down for long.”

“The world will not be the same without my dear father, but it is a world that is a much better place because of him, and he’s given us every tool and every good memory to carry on the pathway he traveled” he concluded.

(Aziz Haniffa, a former Executive Editor of India Abroad, is the co-founder of DesiMax.)