Ranjit Singh Sabharwal’s life began anew at the age of 21 when he
crosssed the border from Lahore to New Delhi as a refugee after the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. He received a BA (Honors) in Mathematics from the University of Punjab in Lahore and an MA in Mathematics from the University of Punjab in Chandigarh. He taught at Khalsa College in Bombay, associated with the University of Bombay.
Professor Sabharwal came to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1958, having received a full scholarship to study towards an MA in Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. He later earned a PhD from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
Professor Sabharwal married Pritam Kaur Sabharwal, who supported him in all of his endeavors. She and their three children, Rajinderpal Singh, Amrajit Kaur, and Jasbir Kaur, joined him from India while he completed his studies. With his support, many families joined them in the Bay Area, where the Sabharwals moved in 1968.
Professor Sabharwal taught at California State University East Bay for 24 years. He retired in 1993 but decided to teach once again in 2002, at which point he established the Sabharwal Family Scholarship Fund for outstanding students in the field of Mathematics.
Ranjit Singh Sabharwal put forth all of his efforts to help further the Bay Area Sikh community. He helped establish the Fremont Gurdwara, for which he performed the opening ceremony. He was a trustee of the Sikh Foundation International, Palo Alto, and helped launch the
Sikh Times. He was a driving force in establishing the Guru Granth Sahib Foundation and Gurdwara Sahib Hayward. His position in the Bay Area Sikh community was pivotal, and his determination and compassion serves as an inspiration to all.
The Sikh Foundation and friends, family, and admirers of Professor Sabharwal are working to negotiate with California State University East Bay to install a “Professor Ranjit Singh Sabharwal Chair of Sikh Studies.” Interested parties should contact Pali Sabharwal or Maryann Anunziata at (510) 885-2684 or Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany at (650) 494-7454.
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