[INDOLOGY] Dina Bangdel's Passing

[Matthew Kapstein]

What terrible news!
Dina was a jewel among jewels,
a wonderful human being,
and an invaluable scholar and activist on behalf of Nepal's artistic heritage.
Her passing comes much too soon,
and all who had the privilege to know her can
only be shocked and dismayed.

Matthew

Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études,
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago

________________________________________
From: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces at list.indology.info] on behalf of John Huntington via INDOLOGY [indology at list.indology.info]
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2017 11:21 AM
To: Indology
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Dina Bangdel's Passing

Dina Bangdel’s untimely death is a tragedy of many orders. Taken from us in the prime of life, she was in the midst of several projects all of which boded well for the disciplines of Nepali/Newar art history, Buddhism of the Himalayas and art history in general. In addition she was a charismatic leader and strong advocate for the arts in Nepal with a considerable following as a national figure.

Her intelligence, personal charm, and positive outlook (“no negativity” was a favorite saying of hers) gave her the ability to create positive attitudes for the promotion, study, and preservation of historical monuments. Her vision was very straightforward, “this needs to be done, together we can do it, and here is the plan to do it”.

Having worked with Dina closely on several projects, the “Photographic Documentation of Newar Buddhist Art and Architecture, and the Circle of Bliss exhibition catalog, I came to know her more as a family member than a graduate student or a colleague. Her contributions to these projects were both generous in terms of time and effort and of the highest intellectual level.

Personally, my family, Susan, Eric and Yumi, and I will miss her beyond any possible words and her husband Bibh and her sons, Devan and Neel have our most profound condolences.

May her Indra capa kaya (rainbow body) diffuse through the sarva akasha totality of space.

John
Huntington