Aruna Chakrabartty (née Roy Choudhury)
March 17, 1937 – November 9, 2026
Aruna Chakrabartty, daughter of Satya Narayan Roy Choudhury and Aparna Roy Choudhury (née Mukherjee), passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 9, 2026. Aruna was among the sixties wave of immigrants to Canada in 1966, who settled in Edmonton, Alberta. She was an early childhood educator, heritage language teacher, day care worker, community leader, family historian, philanthropist, and Advaita Vedanta knower and seeker.
She was straightforward and helpful, and many came to her for guidance on personal and social matters. She had a sharp wit and a wonderful sense of humour. She took pleasure in maintaining her Bengali customs and culture. Her delicious meals and Bengali sweets were loved by her family and the Bengali community. She was also a competitive Scrabble master right to the end.
In the community, Aruna, with her husband Sujit, was involved in initiating the Edmonton Bengali Association, the annual Bengali celebration of Durga Puja, and cultural programs. She was a regular attendee of Vedanta scriptural study groups and meetups. Her guru was the late Swami Bhashyanandaji, Minister-in-Charge of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago, a centre of the Ramakrishna Order.
She was predeceased by her husband, Sujit Kumar Chakrabartty, in 2022 and her brother, Shib Narayan Roy Choudhury, in 2015. She is survived by her children Avi (Nancy), Shreela and Shomee; her grandchildren Monissa (Khalid) and Sumon; her great-granddaughter Aruna “Runi”; her sister Archana Mukherjee; her nephew Subhamoy (Anindita); her niece Ratna; and her grandniece Shreya.
In her final years she received loving support from her regular daily caregivers, notably Asmara, Iyan, Fathiya and Mary.
Her favourite verse, which she was often heard reciting, was:
Om Tad Viṣṇoḥ
Paramaṁ Padaṁ
Sadā Paśyanti Sūrayaḥ |
Divīva Cakṣur-Ātatam ||
Which in essence means: the highest reality is always there; the enlightened see what is eternally present.
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