Raj Bala Agrawal

Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal passed away on Dec. 16th, 2020 at the age of 90 years in Kansas City. She died peacefully surrounded by family.

She was born in Hardoi, India, and lived in Allahabad, India for most of her life.  Her parents were from well-educated families, and strongly supported the education of all seven children.  Raj Bala obtained a PhD in psychology in the 1950s when few women in India and around the world even went to college, and went on to teach at an Indian Ivy League university.  She then spent the majority of her life owning and operating two small scale factories along with her husband. When a machine broke down, she would often pull out the wiring blueprints to diagnose the problem and fix it. She was honored for her work by the Allahabad business community - a rarity for women at that time. Toward the end of her career, she ran a school for elementary school children.  She moved to the United States to be with her son's family in 2007.

Raj Bala was married in 1950 to Jagdish K. Agrawal, and had two sons, Sudhanshu Mohan and Chandra Mauli.  She was very proud of both of them.  Sudhanshu became a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, married Nandini Girme, and had two children, Saudamini and Nidhi.  For a period, the family lived with Raj Bala while Sudhanshu was serving in a remote posting.  This created a strong bond with her grandchildren that lasted throughout their lives.

Chandra Mauli went into higher education in the US and is currently Chancellor of UMKC.  He married Sue Robinson and has two children, Ethan and Serena.  When their "Dadi" (grandmother) came to live with them, they got to experience her love and her cooking, and her celebration of Diwali became a great tradition in the home.

She was skilled with needle arts such as knitting and embroidery, she loved gardening and nature, and cooked fabulous meals for family and friends.  She also loved reading, and was a keen follower of politics. Throughout her life she loved her family selflessly and gave it her absolute all - always loving, kind and soft spoken.

Raj was incredibly persistent and resilient throughout her life.  Ups and downs in business were treated as opportunities to evolve and innovate.  Being wheelchair bound later in life did not deter her from staying independent: she continued to prepare her own food, tend to her garden, and roll rotis for the family.

She was not ill for too long before passing.  The family would like to express appreciation for the caring professionals at St. Luke's Hospital and Kansas City Hospice House for their excellent care in her last days.

The Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Memorial Fund.has been established at UMKC to assist students and recognize and honor the life of this educator and businesswoman.