The Hemank Varma Memorial Page
Unfortunately, Hemank Varma passed away due to complications from Ovarian Cancer on Sunday, May 27, 2012. She died peacefully, surrounded by her husband, son, nephews, nieces, close relatives, and friends.
If you would like to honor her memory, please consider any of the following:
- Learning more about her life and those she touched by reading the biography below and viewing the photo gallery.
- Attending her Memorial Event on Saturday, June 2, 2012.
- Donating to her favorite charities through the Hemank Varma Memorial Fund.
Hemank Sachan was born in the home of her mother’s parents in the village of Daheli, near the city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, India. About one month later, she moved to her family’s home in Kanpur.
She spent her youth in Kanpur, peppered with occasional holiday trips to the town of Mussoorie at the foothills of the Himalayas.
After graduating from GSVM Medical College with a Bachelors in Medicine and Surgery, she undertook post-graduate study in internal medicine at Kanpur University. Following this, she was one of the first women in India to receive specialty training in cardiology at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in the city of Chandigarh.
Hemank was then an assistant professor of cardiology at Christian Medical College in Ludhiana—the first medical school for women in Asia.
In June 1977, she was an assistant professor at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute in Trivandrum, Kerala, where she met Ashok Varma. Ashok wooed her with many photographs of his travels in Europe, and they married later that month. Shortly afterwards, Hemank joined Ashok in Yonkers, New York. There she began to learn how to cook, and received constant encouragement from her husband.
About one year later, Ashok and Hemank moved to Jackson Heights in Queens. Hemank commuted via subway to Brooklyn to practice internal medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
Hemank gave birth to her son Atul on August 25, 1978. Because she wanted more time to be a mother, she decided to switch from practicing cardiology to radiology. This required a residency, and while one was available for her in New York, it involved time-consuming commutes between three different hospitals. Colleagues in the burgeoning metropolis of Columbus, Ohio had mentioned the availability of a residency at the Ohio State University, so she decided to take it up and move there with her family in 1980.
In 1985, once her residency was complete, Hemank moved with her family to Dayton to work at the Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Two and a half years later, in 1987, Hemank moved back to Columbus with her family, but continued commuting to work at the VA in Dayton, where she became life-long friends with her coworkers.
Over the years, Hemank visited many strange and amazing places with her family.
In the mid-1990s, she took up painting, which she continued throughout the rest of her life. Her painting styles ranged from realism to abstract art; one of her favorite influences was Georgia O’Keefe. She particularly enjoyed making paintings as gifts for her close friends and family.
Hemank continued to live her life consumed by a hunger for learning new things, and a passion for treating her friends and co-workers with dignity and respect. While not a self-described feminist, she frequently encouraged women to live to their full potential as human beings in all aspects of their lives, both professionally and personally.
Family members have described Hemank as a “force of nature” for the vivaciousness that she brought to any gathering. She always spoke her mind, while simultaneously keeping it open to new ideas and perspectives.
She will be dearly missed.
