JAIN, Sudhir

July 31, 1938 - September 10, 2019 Inveterate letter writer, brilliant scientist, corny pun distributor, classical music fanatic.

Sudhir Jain, a scientist and writer, passed away surrounded by his adoring family on September 10, 2019 from lymphoma. A spry 81 and, along with his wife Evelyn, an avid traveler, Sudhir made a trip to the Canadian North and Stratford this summer. In a recent letter published in the Calgary Herald he extolled his adopted country’s natural drama and artistic pleasures, and took the opportunity to recommit his allegiance to the place he made his home 45 years ago.

Sudhir discovered fiction and opinion-writing as a creative outlet later in life, ultimately publishing six books and hundreds of letters to the editor. He expressed his deep sense of justice and playful spirit through puns as much as punditry. Family and friends were also privy to his coy sense of humour. Regardless of who asked the morning ritual question of how he slept, his well-rested response was always the same: "the sleep of the unjust."

Born in Dehradun in pre-independence India, Sudhir had the temerity and resilience to cross many national and cultural boundaries in his life. After completing a BSC and Mtech in geophysics at IIT Kharagpur on a full scholarship, he sailed alone to Liverpool in 1961 for his PHD. There he stayed at World Friendship House, an Anglican hostel for overseas students that saw as an unofficial part of its charitable mission the introduction of young men from the former colonies to English women. Combining romance with parsimony, Sudhir would invite an effervescent local girl named Evelyn to take the one concert ticket he had, but insist that he walk her through the dangerous urban neighbourhoods. Magically, two tickets would appear. The young couple’s courtship blossomed and Evelyn invited Sudhir home for Christmas dinner. Her parents felt the sparks and ceremoniously took him aside to express their concern. "We know men like you have other wives, so stay away from our Evelyn," they said. "Yes," he responded with his sly smile. "But don’t worry, we are allowed four." This initiated an intensely loyal and loving 54 year-long marriage.

On Sudhir’s completion of his award-winning PHD and Evelyn of her social work degree, they moved to London and then to Libya where they lived until 1972. Sporting two children and a set of friends that would become lifelong and inter-generational, they set out for North America with eyes toward Dallas. A visit to Evelyn’s long-lost Scottish uncles in Philadelphia turned into a three year layover when an executive at a local oil exploration company recognized Sudhir’s name from an article he had published, and hired him on the spot.

Sudhir could spin language in other ways as well. When a professional opportunity arose in Calgary, he sold Evelyn on the possibility of yet another move by focusing on how "very clean" it was. His brood found the February relocation to Alberta in the midst of a blizzard particularly bracing. They had never been "cleaned" by more than the snow "dustings" that closed roads and schools in Pennsylvania.

In Calgary, Sudhir soon founded his own company, Commonwealth Geophysical, which developed industry-shifting innovations. In particular, he devised a novel method of inversion and developed computer programs that pioneered ways to predict the nature and composition of geophysical features. While his contributions have been widely honoured within the geophysical community, Sudhir turned more philosophical about the oil industry and its global impact in his later years.

Calgary became the Jain’s lifelong home and the birthplace of their third child. Both Sudhir and Evelyn worked tirelessly to build and sustain the community. Sudhir was particularly drawn to support the arts, especially classical music, and in retirement he volunteered in various capacities, including driving for the cancer hospital and taking an active role in raising his granddaughter Asha.

While he loved the spirit and expanse of Canada, he was never one for scree, or skating, or skiing - much preferring a solitary afternoon with Mahler, or a night out at the opera. He was charming, insightful, funny, and if circumstances militated against his contemplative solitude, he loved nothing more than spirited banter.

Sudhir’s spirit is held dear by many loving friends and family members, including his wife Evelyn, children Lochlann, Kamini, and Anita; daughters-in-law Samara and Michelle; grandchildren Kahlo and Asha; brothers Vinod and Pramod and Bhabiji Usha; and numerous nephews and nieces in the UK and India. As his esteemed homeland was to Sudhir, he was and will always be to us: None came close. The loss is unfathomable.

If those who knew and loved Sudhir wish to make a donation in his memory, please consider his two great passions: Calgary Opera and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.