About

ABOUT DR. PRADEEP GANGULY

Growing up

Pradeep Ganguly was born on March 2, 1947 in Dacca, India, a few months before the partition of India.  His aunt (Basanti Pishima), his father’s youngest sister, took him to New Delhi (via Kolkata), where he grew up. His father, Paritosh Chandra Ganguly, a father of seven children, worked for the Indian government, and moved many times until finally settling down at 10 Outram Square, near Gole Market in New Delhi.  His father was an avid Bridge player, and very active in New Delhi Kali Bari. 

Pradeep remembers Outram Square for its 62 single-storey houses, divided into two halves, with a narrow road between them and expansive lawns on both sides.  Rarely a car or two would pass through that road (there were not that many cars in Delhi during the 50’s and 60’s).  There, he and his friends would play cricket and football, fly kites and celebrate “Holi” and “Lohri.”  The Outram Square home was in close proximity to New Delhi Kali Bari, Birla Mandir (Laxmi Narayan Temple), Buddha Temple, Hindu Maha Sabha Bhawan, Raisina School and Gole Market.  New Delhi kali Bari was the cultural and religious home, with many events culminating each year in the 5-day Durga Puja.  Pradeep also remembers the “ridge” – a part of the Aravalli Mountains along Mandir Lane, where he and his friends would go to pick “Kul” or “Ber” – small red berries on thorny bushes.  

Pradeep has five sisters living in the New Delhi NCR (Pramila, Prativa, Pranati, Kamal and Geeta).  His brother, Pranab (nicknamed “Khokan”), the smartest of them all, passed away.

As a child, Pradeep used to enjoy the outdoors – flying kites, playing football and cricket.  He played with Raju, who was the opening batsman for their neighborhood cricket team.  Pradeep would play all day, and only study at nights.  His mother would stay up, and bring him a cup of hot milk around mid-night, and urge him to go to bed.  

His brother Khokan was a great football player in college and was the goalkeeper for Delhi’s Shimla Youngs, while Pradeep played for the Deccan Cricket Club.  The two of them became experts in making fireworks during Diwali, especially the “Tubri” that would go as high as the tallest trees.  Both Kamal and Geeta were their “volunteers”, doing the dirty work of preparing charcoal and other material for the fireworks.  Pradeep also became quite good at the board game of “Carrom”, and won club championships at Kali Bari.  Once again, Raju was his doubles partner.

With exams coming up, Pradeep realized that there was no quiet place to study at home.  There would be a constant flow of family, distant relatives, visitors and music training for sisters.  All his sisters turned out to be good singers, with Prativa (“Ratan”) being outstanding.  Ratan went on to train at Gandharva Mahavidyalay, went overseas to perform, and became a music teacher in Delhi schools.  To get away from the noise and hustle-bustle, Pradeep would go to Birla Mandir to find some quiet space to study.

Pradeep also remembers Babu (Achintya) and his family.  Mr. and Mrs. Sengupta became like second parents to Pradeep.  Mr. Sengupta would teach both Babu and Pradeep during the time Babu was preparing for his HS exams, while Pradeep had not entered college.   This training became invaluable during his college days.  Mrs. Sengupta would offer tea and Marie biscuits, and they would often play a card game of “29”.  Pradeep would help with the painting and finishing of Durga and Saraswati idols that were being made in Babu’s house. 

Money was always tight.  To augment their father’s  limited earnings, his Didi (Pramila) would get up at five in the morning every day to work at a milk booth, while Pradeep continued to tutor school students.  After his Didi (Pramila) graduated from Delhi University, and got a job with Citi Bank, the financial fortunes of the family stabilized somewhat.  In addition, Pranati became an air hostess for Indian Airlines, and new furniture arrived at 10 Outram Square.  On Sunday evenings, all seven siblings and their mother, Jyotirmoyee Devi (Ma), would go to Gole Market, where they would eat a Dosa at Sreedharan’s Restaurant, and each have a Rasagolla next door at the Bengali Sweet House – all for a hefty sum of Rs. 10.  Pradeep’s father passed away in 1998, while his mother – his soul – passed away in 2008.  

“Kakamani” (father’s younger brother, Keshab) was fond of Pradeep.  He was a Squadron Leader/Wing Commander for the Air Force.  He lived in a nice bungalow, and, on occasion, would arrive in his Fiat car with Mamani, Karu and Neelu (more on “Kakamani” later). 

Education

Pradeep graduated from Raisina Bengali School in 1962  http://raisinabengalischool.org.   His favorite teacher was Robinbabu, who taught English, and encouraged Pradeep to translate Bengali short stories into English. Pradeep was too young to enter college.  For one year, he continued tutoring to earn money while riding around on an old 10-Rupee bicycle.  In 1963, he entered Ramjas College https://ramjas.du.ac.in, and got a BA (Hons) degree in Economics.  He played on both the cricket and soccer teams for Ramjas college.  Often, he and his best childhood friend Tarun would walk home from the University campus to Gole Market, munching on peanuts Pradeep would buy with his saved bus fare. 

Pradeep’s father urged him to go for AF Pilot’s training, but his mother was against it.  Luckily for him, Pradeep got admission into the prestigious Delhi School of Economics in 1966, with a merit scholarship in his first year http://www.dse.du.ac.in,  In 1667-68, Pradeep got elected – by a 2-1 margin – the leader of the Delhi University Bengali Association.

Shivaji College Days

Upon graduation in 1968 with a Master’s degree in Economics, Pradeep joined Shivaji College as an Assistant Lecturer of Economics Shivaji College – University of Delhi.  He was a popular teacher who taught Economics, coached the cricket and football teams, and still remembers some of his students.  Pradeep was close to his colleagues – Dharam Pal, R. S. Bhardwaj, N.K. Sharma, Promod Sagar and SPS Chauhan.  Each payday, they would go to the Bengali Sweet Home in Gole Market for a treat.  The rest of the paycheck would go to his mother.  Later, in 1999, Pradeep created a scholarship fund for Econ students at Shivaji College, and currently works with Anshu Chopra, Sumit Raheja and the Econ Faculty.

Pradeep was able to acquire a beautiful, light green Italian Vespa 150 cc scooter (DHM8346) in 1971.  It would cost him Rs. 10 to fill up 3 liters of petrol (gas) and 100 ml of oil in his beloved Vespa.  He taught Khokan, Kamal and Geeta how to ride it, and traveled all around Delhi.  Riding his Vespa, Pradeep would often visit Kamal and Pravir in Pusa, with a Papaya in his hands.  He greatly remembers taking a trip on his Vespa from Delhi to Aligarh with his Didi Pramila to visit their Pishima, only to find out that his beloved Pishima had left for Delhi to visit them.  

A Life-changing Realization

Pradeep and his favorite brother-in-law Ashok Rai Chowdhury would ride the Vespa to political meetings around town.  While he greatly enjoyed the companionship of Ashok, Pradeep soon realized that politics was not his calling.  He was unhappy with the country’s political situation and his own academic prospects.  In 1974, while still teaching at Shivaji, he joined J. Nehru University.  He received an M.Phil. in Regional Development https://www.jnu.ac.in.  Still unfulfilled with his academic dreams, Pradeep began his search for higher studies in the U.S.  This was much against his father’s wishes.  His sisters, brothers-in-law and friends (Tarun Roy and Sarab Aatam Bakshi) became his ardent supporters.  

Pradeep was fortunate to receive a Research Assistantship from the Department of Agricultural Economics at Clemson University (several other U.S. schools gave him admission, but with no financial assistance or only a tuition waiver).  Pradeep did not have the means to travel to or study in the U.S.  Financial aid was the only way Pradeep could afford to go to the U.S. and pursue higher studies.  Clemson University – now recognized as a Top-25 Public University – came as a God-sent: https://www.clemson.edu/

For a few months, before he left for the U.S., Pradeep became a visiting professor at a management institute in Delhi.  “Kakamani” had retired from the AF and enrolled in an MBA program.  Lo and behold!  “Kakamani” was a student in his class!  

Life in Clemson, South Carolina

Pradeep left for the U.S. with $12 in his pocket (Rs. 100).  He joined Clemson University in Fall 1976 to study Applied Economics.  Dr. J. Edwin Faris was the Department Head and his mentor, while Dr. Hugh McCauley was his favorite Economics teacher.  His best times were spent with his classmates, including John Harrington and Mike Ellerbrock.  With them, he would play pool (billiards), and go to Po Folks Restaurant on Saturdays for all-you-can-eat dinners for about three dollars.  They also taught him the game of softball.  In his first at bat, he went 1-for-1.  The next day, the buzz in Barre Hall was that Pradeep batted a thousand!  Unfortunately, he lost his glasses at the next game when a base runner collided with him.

While at Ramjas College, Pradeep was fascinated by the sound of the Volkswagen Beetle (a Sikh classmate would drive one to college).  So, in 1977, as soon as he was able to save a bit of money, Pradeep bought a used 1966 Beetle for $500, against the sound advice of his friend Susie Leopard – his host family from Iva, South Carolina.  

Getting to know Canada and the U.S. Embassy

Pradeep drove his Beetle to Illinois to meet his friend Sushma, and then to London, Ontario to visit Taradas and Bharati Banerjee.  He remembers his trip to Niagara Falls – and was awestruck by the beauty and power of the Falls.  As luck would have it, on his way back to the U.S., the car’s engine caught fire on a highway.  A Labatt beer truck driver pulled up behind, extinguished the fire, and arranged for a tow truck.  The car got towed to a local garage.  The French-speaking shop owner gave him the bad news – needs a new engine.  He put Pradeep up in his own home for two nights, while he fetched a rebuilt 1968 engine and installed it. 

Happy again, Pradeep drove towards the U.S. border, only to be told that his U.S. visa had expired.  Pradeep would drive back to Toronto, stay with his friend’s overnight, and went to the U.S. Embassy the next morning.  The Embassy officials denied him a U.S. via in Toronto, and told him he needed to get his U.S. Visa from New Delhi!  Imagine the ordeal.  Persistent Pradeep went back at the crack of dawn the next day and got denied again.  The Embassy office closed for lunch, Pradeep got himself some snacks and went back in as soon as the counters opened after lunch.  No luck again!  Pradeep sat on the floor until about an hour before the Embassy counters closed again, when a wonderful official asked him to come to the counter.  Pradeep explained his car problems, showed his Clemson University documents and pleaded for a visa renewal.  The officer disappeared into the back offices, emerged just about closing time and handed him his Indian Passport with a U.S. visa stamped.  Oh, what relief!  America, here I come again!

Getting Married

In Spring 1978, Sushma visited Clemson to spend some time with Pradeep.  They continued to communicate by phone, until  they decided to get married.  In April, Pradeep visited Illinois, and the two got engaged in the hands of Mr. Sharma, who worked for the World Bank.  Pradeep and Sushma (Sharma) got married in May, 1978 at the home of Dr. Amulya and Renu Laskar, both professors at Clemson.  Sushma moved from Illinois to Clemson to pursue her Ph.D., and received a research assistantship as well.  They got a graduate student housing for $50 per month.  They bought a used Dodge Monaco Custom and traveled all over the South – Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.  Pradeep also bought a used Honda motorcycle,  and they would go camping in the nearby mountains.  After a year of riding the motorcycle, and hurting his wrist, Pradeep sold the Honda for the same amount he bought it for.   Those were golden years!   

Before graduating from Clemson with a Ph.D. degree in 1980, Pradeep got a job in 1979 as an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of South Carolina-Aiken https://usca.edu  He was nominated as teacher of the year for the Department of Business and Economics in both 1980 and 1981.  He lived in Aiken, South Carolina, while his wife Sushma continued to live in Clemson.  Every Friday, Pradeep would drive to Clemson in his blue Ford Fiesta and return to Aiken on Monday mornings. In early 1980, Sushma got a job at the World Bank and moved to Washington, DC.  They sold the Dodge Monaco, and got a Dodge Omni for Sushma just before she moved to DC.  On December 2, 1980, their son, Sonny Ganguly was born in Fairfax, Virginia.  Pradeep would visit Sushma and Sonny every two weeks, flying once and driving once from Aiken to DC.

Moving to the DC Metro Region

In May 1981, against the advice of his Academic Dean Dr. Emil Roy, Pradeep resigned his tenure-track job at USC-A, and moved to Washington, DC.  His wife, Dr. Sushma Ganguly, had just joined the World Bank as a Young Professional, and was alone in DC raising Sonny.  Pradeep’s mother (Ma) visited them when they lived in Arlington, and really enjoyed her stay caring for Sonny.  In December 1981, they moved from their apartment in Arlington, VA to Silver Spring, Maryland (McAlpine Road), and then to Potomac, Maryland (Copenhaver Drive). 

Sushma became a Division Chief at the World Bank, and retired after working for over 20 years.  Sushma passed away in 2022 after a prolonged fight with cancer.  Pradeep and Sushma’s son, Sonny S. Ganguly, a Harvard graduate and a successful entrepreneur, is married to the wonderful Meg Cole.  They have three lovely children – Savi, Hari and Vani – and live in Potomac, Maryland.  Pradeep is their GrandpaG. 

Bringing Up Sonny

Pradeep and Sushma separated in 1992.  Sonny and Pradeep lived in the Potomac house until it was sold in 1996.  Sonny located a beautiful three-level townhome in the heart of Rockville.  That was one of the best places Pradeep says he ever lived in – three spacious bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a two-car garage, and a lawn in the middle of 32 townhomes. Pradeep and Sonny had a lot of get-togethers at their home, as both were very active socially.  

Sonny continued at Barrie School.  He was President of the Student’s Association, manager of their store and editor of their newsletter.  He not only excelled in academics, he was also an avid sportsman.  The two of them would play tennis and basketball.  Sonny was also into soccer and skiing.  They would drive up to ski resorts in the winters where Pradeep would read a book, while Sonny skied.  Every morning, Pradeep would drop Sonny at Barrie and drive to Baltimore.  After work, he would pick up Sonny from school and they would return home to Rockcrest Circle.

Once Sonny got into UPenn, he and Sushma started working together to support Sonny.  On some Fridays after work or on Saturdays, Pradeep would drive up to Philly.  He and Sonny would enjoy a meal, and walk around UPenn campus.  He and Sushma continued to support Sonny throughout his academic and professional career, until Sushma’s death.  Sonny grew up to be an amazing and wonderful family man, and a highly respected corporate leader.

Sonny was an avid baseball card collector.  Some weekends, Sonny and Pradeep would  go to baseball card shows, where Sonny would set up his display cases, and sell and trade cards until closing time.  He must have a collection of over 100,000 cards, many of them valuable “rookie cards.”  

One summer, Sonny and Pradeep went on an amusement park voyage, visiting Busch Gardens in Virginia, Carowinds in North Carolina, Six Flags and the World of Coca Cola in Atlanta.  The next summer, they went to Paris and visited Euro Disney.  They used the R&R train to visit Euro Disney and the subway in Paris to visit the Eifel Tower and Notre Dame. 

Sonny and Pradeep would visit New Delhi during his summer vacation, where Sonny would spend time with all his cousins. 

A Trip to Bali

Sushma had great perks of working at the World Bank.  One was travel benefits for the family.  Pradeep was able to visit much of Western Europe during his stop-overs on India trips.  He was fortunate to accompany her to Indonesia, stay at the beautiful Borobudur Hotel, and visit Bali – a trip that is still etched in his memory.  Bali was paradise – warm and friendly people, beautiful beaches, and amazing Rama temples. The entrance to every little village/hamlet, had an ornate temple of a Hindu God.  In the morning, he would watch women carry fruits and food on their heads and walk to the local temples as offerings to Gods.  During the day, he would visit various beaches and towns.  He also visited the monkey forest where a monkey snatched his eye glasses.  He had to offer peanuts to the monkey to retrieve them.  Pradeep ended the day by watching a sunset from a beach resort.  At night, he would visit the temples and watch live “Ramayana” ballet performances.   

An Academician and a Writer

Dr. Ganguly published several refereed journal articles, including those in The Economist and the Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics, as well as abstracts in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.  

From 1981 to 1983, Pradeep worked as an Extension Associate in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Maryland, College Park: https://umd.edu  At UMCP, Pradeep worked closely with the Chair Dr. Virgil Norton, Ralph Adkins and the Extension Service, helped develop microcomputer programs for farm management, and taught introductory econometrics to graduate students.  He also authored many “Extension Reports” on Maryland tobacco, farm management, horseracing and breeding, stallion investment analysis, and microcomputer programs.  He greatly remembers co-authoring many reports with Jack Wysong.

Pradeep was a prolific writer of letters to the editor, and published letters in the Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, NY Times, USA Today, The Economist and many others.  He still writes letters for publication to the Washington Post and other major publications  The most recent published letters were in praise of India’s economic successes under PM Modi, taxes in Virginia, and economic development.

The State of Maryland

In 1983, Pradeep joined the State of Maryland’s economic development agency (now named the Maryland Department of Commerce https://commerce.maryland.gov) as an Economist where he served until 2004.  He has fond memories of the many talented professionals he worked with eminent Economists Eric Van De Verg, Bob Goodman and Massoud Ahmadi of Commerce and Patrick (Pat) Arnold of DLLR.  He admired the work of Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, and Commerce leadership – Secretary Mark Wasserman, Deputy Secretary Mike Lofton, Deputy Secretary Robert (Bob) Walker and Assistant Secretary Victor Hoskins.  

Pradeep went on a Rotary International mission to the Philippines with Bob Scholz in 1994, where he spent five weeks with the warm and hospitable people of that beautiful country.  He also helped form, and co-chaired with Jim Hughes, the Maryland India Business Roundtable, and in 1997 led a business mission to India.

Pradeep rose to be Director of the Office of Research and Chief Economist.  He was the Editor of the Economic Pulse, a monthly report on the Maryland Economy.  He often played the role of an Economic spokesperson for the Department, and wrote many reports and legislative testimony.  He was also a sought-after speaker on topics about the Maryland economy, economic outlook, horse racing, manufacturing industry and worker’s compensation insurance.  He worked closely with industry experts like the amazing Dr. Anirban Basu and Mr. Tom Saquella. In 2003, Pradeep received the Governor’s citation for his outstanding service to the State of Maryland. 

Concurrently, from 1992 to 2007, Pradeep was an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC/UMGC), where he taught Strategic Management to Masters and MBA students. University of Maryland Global Campus | UMGC  In 2007, he received the teaching excellence citation from UMUC/UMGC for 15 years of service.

Knot Again!

Pradeep continued to be active in the community, and organized many cultural events.  That is where he met Jayantee Paine.  They started seeing each other around 1998, but Jayantee continued shuttling between Herndon, Virginia and Germany.  Frustrated, Pradeep rented his beloved Rockville TH, moved to Ellicott City in a TH owned by his friend Timir Patel, then into an apartment in Elkridge, Maryland.   Jayantee Paine finally returned to Herndon in early 2000.  The relationship between them became stronger. They were engaged at the home of Amiya and Susmita Samanta, and got married on December 30, 2000.  It was a memorable event, on a snowy winter night.

The two got numerous invitations, organized many dance events, and got into a new home in Glenn Dale, Maryland in August 2001.  Jayantee continued to grow her dance school, and Pradeep continued to travel to Baltimore to work at Maryland Commerce.  Their beautiful daughter, Juliet, was born on May 10, 2005 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.  Those were memorable days.  

Raising Juliet

Juliet grew up surrounded by music, dance and art, not just school and studies.  Under Jayantee’s training, Juliet became an amazing dance artist, culminating in her dance debut in 2023.  The Covid-19 pandemic played a havoc with her dance debut, which had to be postponed several times causing a lot of anxiety and heartache.

Weekends were very special for Pradeep and Juliet.  While still in bed, Juliet will play hide and seek with Pradeep, until it was breakfast time.  When Jayantee went out to teach, Pradeep would train Juliet in multiplication tables, math and handwriting.  In the afternoons, they would go to kiddie parks to hang out or go for a drive.

Juliet turned out to be a natural artist and a very good writer.  She created many wonderful paintings and graphic designs, some of which have been framed.  Juliet wrote a Citizenship poem in middle school for which she received an award.  She also wrote amazing essays for her college entrance.

Pradeep’s Amazing Brother-in-law

Jayantee and Pradeep were appointed legal guardians in 2005 of Ranjan Paine, upon the death of Jayantee’s parents.  Ranjan was a special kid, with an infectious smile on his face.  Born with the Downs Syndrome, Ranjan developed Chron’s disease, had a Colostomy bag and became legally blind.  Jayantee was his main care-giver, and Pradeep took care of Ranjan whenever Jayantee was out teaching dance.  Ranjan loved little children, especially Juliet.  He loved music, especially Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.  He was fond of Pradeep, and would only hold Pradeep’s hand whenever they went to a social gathering.  In the evenings, Ranjan would play his favorite drums or guitar.  Ranjan passed away in 2018. 

Moving to County Government

In 2004, after a shake-up of administration at Maryland government, Pradeep joined Prince George’s County as a Deputy Director in the Department of Environmental Resources (after turning down an offer to join Prince George’s Community College as an Associate Professor).  In January 2007, Montgomery County Executive Ike Legget appointed him Director of the Department of Economic Development.  Pradeep loved his job, and excelled in economic development in Montgomery County by growing and attracting several businesses.  However, this tenure lasted only two years, as a controversy over a small grant given by his department to a start-up company was considered to be in violation of ethics rules.  Pradeep clearly indicated that he had recused himself from any decisions leading to that small grant; but offered his resignation as Director.  Irony:  That small start-up grew into a large company with several hundred employees within a short period of time.

In the Interim

From 2009 until early 2011, Pradeep worked briefly as VP of business development for Powersolv, Inc.  Then, in early 2010, he joined Ashoke Laha and Interra IT.  For Interra IT, he secured – in less than one year – the GSA Schedule 70 certification.  During this two-year period, Pradeep also successfully ventured into real estate with his friends Rahul Dhawan and Mukund Agashe.  

In 2011, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker appointed him as Executive Vice President for the Economic Development Corporation:  https://www.pgcedc.com/.

Back to County Government

At PGC-EDC, Pradeep loved business development, retention and attraction.  He created the International Business Center, where he helped several businesses find a soft-landing.  During his tenure, he helped organize business missions to India, China and Korea, with the India mission bringing the most positive outcomes.  

A major highlight was a business mission to India in 2011 with Deputy Secretary Bob Walker (as well as Rajan and Elisha).  They had a meeting with Mr. Modi in Gandhinagar, while he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.  Pradeep remembers his brief, but memorable conversation with Mr. Modi.  He inquired about Pradeep’s family and discussed the upcoming 2014 Indian election. In 2007, Pradeep received the “Hind Ratan Award” from the NRI Welfare Society of India.

In March 2019, Pradeep left PGC-EDC at the urging of the incoming County leadership, and became a technology consultant. The very next month, he received the “Hall of Fame” award from the Maryland Economic Development Association: https://www.medamd.com/  He also received in April 2019 a Governor of Maryland’s citation for his MEDA “Hall of Fame” award.

In 2015, the family moved into Methven Ct., a beautiful home in the Langley HS District – one of the best schools in Fairfax County.

Harvard, KSG and Leadership Training

Dr. Ganguly is a graduate of the 1990 Government Executive Institute/Aspen Institute leadership training, as well as the Leadership Montgomery “Class of 2008.” 

In 2005 and 2018, Pradeep attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, where he received two Executive Education certificates: 2005 for Management of Regulatory Agencies and in 2018 for Leading Economic Growth.  Pradeep fondly remembers many of the professors at Harvard, especially Dr. Ricardo Hausmann.

Moving Back to the Private Sector and the Non-profit World

He joined BITS, Inc. in March 2019 as VP of business development where he worked until late 2020 developing business leads at Federal agencies.  In 2021, he joined Rahul Dhawan and three others to form nhanceSkill – a non-profit designed to help the underprivileged get IT training:  https://nhanceskill.org/ 

Dr. Pradeep Ganguly founded MKK-USA in 1999, a nonprofit that provides educational support and humanitarian aid to needy children in India as well as in the Washington, DC region.  He has also been providing scholarships to Economics students at Shivaji College for over 15 years.  His mission: “We will make a difference in the lives of children, one child at a time.”  http://www.mkkusa.org/

He continues to guide MKK-USA, with support from companies like Powersolv, Creative Lipi and nhanceSkill.  His dream is to also provide academic scholarships to students of Raisina Bengali School, where he began his academic journey six decades ago.

Back to Education                               

In early 2023, Dr. Ricky Madison, a visionary leader who founded a new on-line university – The Continents States University – asked Pradeep to join his team as Dean of the College of Business and Entrepreneurship.  Pradeep joined the team and started brushing up his management and leadership training.  In September, 2023, Dr. Madison promoted him to Dean of the Graduate School: https://www.continents.us/  

During this time, Pradeep also received the “Who’s Who in America – 2023-2024” citation from the Marquis Who’s Who Publication Board.

Serving the Community

In community service, Pradeep was president of Washington region’s India Cultural Coordination Committee and the 1^st President of the Federation of Indian Associations, National Capital region.  Under the previous president, Dr. Suresh Chandra, he edited the organization’s monthly newsletter.  While editing the newsletter, he would visit Suresh often, and was treated to amazing Punjabi food by Mrs. Inder Chandra.  Suresh and Inder became lifelong friends – a bond that exists even today.  

In 1997, Pradeep helped coordinate and organize the 50^th anniversary of India’s Independence Day with help from many community leaders – including Kirit Udeshi, Archana Patel, Joydeb Roy and Mathen Chacko. Of them, Chacko was his most trusted partner – a man he misses dearly due to his untimely death. It was a two-day event, held at the Capital Expo Center – one of the largest Indian community events ever held in the Washington, DC region.

Looking into the Future

Pradeep is currently married to Jayantee, Director and Founder of the Konark Dance School and a renowned Odissi dance artist.  They have a daughter, Juliet Himani Ganguly, and live in Herndon, Virginia.  Juliet is a currently a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University.  

Juliet, a beautiful and bright student, aspires to become a medical professional – mostly to help children.  On July 29, 2023, Juliet presented her solo dance – the “Manchapravesh” – to a packed audience at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater.  She received numerous standing ovations during her performance – making her parents proud.

Pradeep is active on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pradeep-ganguly-ph-d-04122145/  He also writes extensively on economic development, strategic management and leadership: http://pradeepganguly.com

Pradeep loves to cook, travel and play golf (when he can).  He was a good golfer at one time, and won many individual and team championships.  He also won a few “longest-drive” trophies, including one in New Delhi.  His goal today: play “one more round.”

What Keeps Him Going

Pradeep longs to get back into his favorite pastime – golf – and loves to hang out with his playing buddies (see below).  In his prime, he had a high single-digit handicap (here is a JOKE about the “scratch golfer” who would “scratch” the bad scores, and only post the good ones).  

Pradeep enjoyed music, but was never the artist that his sisters are (especially Ratan and Kamal).  His hidden talent was “exposed” during a family reception when he sang Talt Mehmood songs in Delhi.  His favorite artists are John Denver, Abba, Michael Jackson, Kenny G, Mariah Carey and Beyonce’ (USA); Talat Mehmood, Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Hemanta Mukherjee, Jagjit Singh, Geeta Dutt, Arijit Singh, Kaushiki Chakraborty and Papon (India); Abida Parveen, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Sethi and Kailash Kher (Pakistan).   

Before Pradeep left for the U.S. in 1976, Bakshi arranged a get together at his home, where he recorded (on a cassette tape recorder) several Talat Mahmood songs and a couple of poems written by Tarun.  To his greatest surprise, Bakshi gave the music to Kamal, who created a digital recording (a CD) of those songs.  They presented 50 CDs to him in 2011 during Sonny’s engagement party at Pranati and Bobby’s house.

Plans for 2023 and Beyond

First, overcome health challenges, get stronger, travel and play golf.  Fortunately for him, alone at the Sterling GC on a Saturday morning in 2017, he met Bob Narod, John Gudgel and Dave Davis.  They are now the best of friends, and have get-togethers on a regular basis.  Among them, Bob Narod is more like a brother – taking Pradeep to medical appointments, and spending time with him as he recuperates.  Jihad is a new recruit to their golf team.

Pradeep misses Subrata (Suby) Kumar, who was like an older brother he never had.  Most Saturday mornings, Pradeep and Amiya would be joined by Suby at the Glenn Dale Golf Club for a round of golf.  Suby also helped Pradeep join the “Pinseekers” Club led by Don Brooks, where Pradeep twice won their annual golf tournament.

Pradeep longs to visit his sisters and family in India, his brothers-in-law, nephews and nieces.  He is particularly fond of Sanju (“Chota Guru”), Ishita (Babai – the entrepreneur), Sujata (Jhuma – the jewelry maker), and Amit (Balle – the AI Guru).  He longs to travel in India, especially the temples, hills and resorts.  He admires his brother-in-law, Ashok Rai Chowdhury, whom he calls “My Gurudev.”

Pradeep dearly misses his brother “Khokan” – a huge void filled partly by childhood friends Tarun Roy and Sarab Atam Baxi, and three others he calls his brothers: HS Biswas (also nick-named Khokan), Amiya Samanta, Rahul Dhawan, Dr. Suresh Chandra, Nanda Sen and Bob Narod.  Among his closest friends in the U.S are Asheesh Jain, Inder Chandra, Shobhana Sharma,  Parshwa Jain, Uttam Dutta, Robert (Bob) Walker, Anand Poojary, Ashish Gupta, Mukund Agashe and Asok Motayed.  Asheesh and his wife Rupal have become a part of his extended family. He enjoys visits with his cousin Kakali and her husband Ranen Ganguly of NJ.

Pradeep’s greatest desire now?  Watch Juliet (whom he calls his “Shona Moni”) grow up, be happy and successful, make a difference in the lives of children, and enjoy the gift of life.

What drives him?  Learning.  Working.  Teaching again.  Writing, And, “One more round of golf.”

Pradeep says: HE IS BLESSED.  LIFE IS GOOD.