It is with deep sadness that we share the news that our beloved father, Kant Kishore Bhargava, passed away peacefully the evening of 23 October, 2019 in Toronto, Canada.

Kant Bhargava was born on May 2, 1934. He was born in a big family with six brothers and two sisters and a multitude of cousins. Even though the family had very limited means, Papa had a happy loving childhood. His early education was in Beawar in the state of Rajasthan, India. Papa earned his B.Sc. from Government College, Ajmer in 1952. In 1954, he obtained an M.Sc. in his beloved subject of Mathematics at Agra University, where he secured first position and was awarded the Chatterjee Merit Award for being the best all rounded student.

From 1954 onwards he taught Mathematics at various universities. He took the prestigious Indian Administrative and Foreign Service Exam in 1957 and made history by being the first person from Rajasthan to top the exam. This led to a long career in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and from 1958 onwards, he was posted in various places: Moscow, Paris, Addis Ababa, Bulgaria. In 1969, he was back in Moscow as a counsellor and thereafter in Brussels as Deputy Chief of Mission to European Communities. This was followed by a year-long posting to Paris in a United Nations role. He served as India’s High Commissioner to Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Botswana, and finally as Secretary-General of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) based in Nepal from 1989 until he retired in 1992. Along the way, he learned Russian, French, Bulgarian, and a smattering of other languages.

After his retirement, from 1992 to 1998, Papa served as a consultant at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (established by German Chancellor Willy Brandt) for a project in the developing world and co-authored a book (with Heinz Bongartz from Germany and Farooq Sobhan from Bangladesh) entitled, “Shaping South Asia's Future". Papa also co-edited the book "South Asia 2010- Challenges and Opportunities". In 1998, he immigrated to Canada to be closer to his children in North America. He remained actively involved in a range of activities, particularly in the Indo-Canadian sphere as a consultant to the Indo Canadian Chamber of Commerce. In 2012, Papa was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his outstanding contributions and achievements to the improvement of Indo-Canadian relations.

Papa married Manju, our mother, in 1965, then a practicing gynecologist in the UK, and was happily married for almost 54 years. In his younger days, Papa was an avid tennis player and enjoyed watching tennis matches and following tournaments. Papa also enjoyed playing chess and bridge and it was his dream to write a book on bridge one day. To this end, he had collected a ton of materials and newspaper clippings, and created a sizeable and almost complete draft of the book. He also loved teaching his favorite subject of Mathematics via Skype to his often reluctant granddaughters, spending many more hours preparing for these lessons than the girls themselves! Even in his old age, he worked relentlessly to keep himself busy and strove to learn new computer technology and applications to keep up with the changing times. His favorite quote was "Avec de la patience, tout s'arrive"- All is possible with patience. Papa was greatly loved, admired, and respected for his kindness, wisdom, advice and ideas. He was happiest when he was encouraging others and finding ways to make this world a kinder place. Papa led an exemplary life with rock solid principles, integrity and honor. He was an extraordinary individual who touched and impacted the lives of all who knew him with his remarkable kindness, gentleness, nobility, generosity and helping and giving nature.

All of three of us, Tishina, Meenu and Alok have been extremely fortunate to have called him our father and to have had his guidance and wisdom in our childhood and adult lives. We were so lucky to have experienced his kindness. Papa will be deeply missed by our mother Manju, by us, our spouses (Sriram, Mark and Aloshri) and his four granddaughters (Priyanka, Anushka, Shalini and Ariana). He will be dearly missed by his two brothers, Anil Kishore and Vijay Kishore, his sister Indra, and his many nieces, nephews and the larger family.

An Irish gravestone once said, "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal". We were so lucky to have you in our lives Papa, you made this world a richer place. Our hearts are heavy with you gone, but your love and memory will live on and stay with us forever. We love you Papa.