The Dewayani & Gajanan Pundit Grant

This grant was established in memory of Dewayani & Gajanan Pundit, both teachers and lifelong learners.

Dewayani Gajanan Pundit, B.A., B.T., B.Ed.
September 23, 1932 – July 22, 2019

Dewayani was a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend to many. She was also fiercely independent and passionate about education. We are pleased to celebrate her life and honour her dedication to community service and education by supporting the education of deserving students around the world.

Dewayani was born in Indore, India where she grew up. She was the eldest of five siblings and extremely bright. In a time when it was rare to have a university degree, especially as a woman, Dewayani studied and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Teaching. She worked as a high school teacher and also taught Hindi in a college in Nagpur.

In 1961, at the age of 28, Dewayani was married to Gajanan Pundit and moved with him to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She continued her teaching career in Ethiopia, and then in McLellan, Alberta when she moved with her young family to Canada in 1964. Dewayani continued to teach students in McLellan, then Mundare and finally Edmonton, Alberta. She furthered her own education by completing her B.Ed. at the University of Alberta in 1967.

Dewayani supported Gajanan and their two children on her teacher's salary, enabling Gajanan to go back to university to study law and establish a successful career as a lawyer. When Gajanan was called to the bar in 1971, Dewayani became his legal assistant and helped him manage his independent practice until 1987.

Throughout her life, Dewayani was dedicated to community service and the arts. As a young woman, she hosted a Hindi program on All-India Radio in Indore for many years. In Edmonton, she hosted a Marathi program for CKER from 1989-1993. In Edmonton, Dewayani played an important role in building community as she helped found the Hindu Society of Alberta in 1967 as well as the Edmonton Ragamala Music Society in 1983. She participated in many Hindu cultural programs and was a connoisseur of Indian classical music, hand embroidery, as well as Indian and English literature. She was a gifted writer of Marathi and Hindi poems and stories.

Dewayani’s spirit and love lives on through the support of students continuing to learn and pursue opportunities for education around the world.