Dr. Kamna Das
Jan 4, 1951 – Dec 15, 2010
- By Mitra Kalita
Dr. Kamna Das was a loving wife and mother, brilliant scientist, supportive friend and mentor to countless people. Born in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, to Baij Nath Verma and Ratan Rani Verma, her father ran the Delhi Cloth House in Fancy Bazaar, which has outfitted schoolchildren with uniforms for decades. The family hailed from Punjab but adopted Assam as home, evident in Dr. Das’ impeccable spoken Assamese, choice of beautiful mekhla-chadors for every occasion and steadfast support of cultural functions on U.S. shores. She received her B.Sc. from Cotton College, majoring in chemistry, and went onto receive her master’s and Ph.D. from Gauhati University. In 1972, she met Shonit Das, and the couple wed in 1980. The next year, they moved to Sweden, where she worked as a visiting research scientist at Uppsala University’s Wallenberg Lab. Also in 1981, the Dases rejoiced over the birth of their son, Aabir. In 1983, the family moved to New York City, a place that embodied Kamna Das’ spirit and energy. Here, she helped launch countless American dreams, opening up her home to graduate students and new arrivals and helping them acclimatize to a new land. As everyone’s source of news and support, Kamna Das quickly became the glue that bound a community, always ready with a joke, a smile, and her delightful laugh. For friends across the country, a phone call from Kamna could easily be the highlight of a weekend.She was equally helpful and resourceful to her work colleagues. She started at Columbia University’s Department of Medicine’s Division of Nutrition and worked with the late Dr. DeWitt Goodman, and worked briefly for Downstate Medical Center. She moved back to the Eye Institute of Columbia University joining T. Conrad Gillian in the Genome Center until he moved to the University of Chicago. She most recently served at the G. H. Sergievsky Center as the Director of the Human Genetics Research Core, handling more than 40 clients and collecting more than 35,000 samples.
She balanced motherhood admirably, opening up her home to Aabir’s school friends with generosity (and good food). One such friend remembers showing up after getting his wisdom teeth pulled and not being able to eat with the others. In her signature way, Aabir’s mom wouldn’t relent until she made him eat something else. She was a true intellectual, doing the New York Times crossword every day, and traveling the world Amsterdam to Australia.
For the Assamese community of North America, Kamna Das was a pillar. She served as vice president of the Assam Association of North America and was a life member. On the board of the Assam Foundation of North America, she supported many of its charitable programs. Her organizational skills, cool demeanor and backstage manner helped preserve Assamese culture and traditions, theater, songs and dances. Notably for the second generation, she was among the easiest of the “aunties” to talk to, offering life and career advice, serving as an exemplary role model as she seemed to juggle it all. Besides Shonit and Aabir Das, Kamna Das is survived by her beloved three brothers Dalip, Pradip and Rajiv Verma, and their wives, Vera, Tripta and Madhurima; her only brother-in-law Utpal R. Das and his wife, Chandita Konwar; and many nieces and nephews. Through them, and the countless others whose lives she so profoundly affected, Kamna Das and her legacy will always endure.
