• Visitation and prayers will be held from 11am-1pm on Tuesday March 28 at Moloney’s Lake Funeral Home (132 Ronkonkoma Ave., Lake Ronkonkoma, NY 11779)

Harsh K. Bhasin, known variously to those who loved and admired him as Harshji, Mr. Ambassador, Professor, Nana, Dadaji, and Pa, died peacefully in New York City on March 24, 2023. Harsh dedicated his life to applying his knowledge, curiosity and pursuit of excellence to the service of others.
Born on August 15th, 1944, his birth foretold a lifetime of service to his native India that would be independent 3 years later on that very day. In 1969, he began a 35-year career in the Indian Foreign Service in capitals around the world from Beijing and Hong Kong to Washington, Delhi and Pretoria.
Always a bastion of honor, hard work and a kind word, he became Ambassador Bhasin to governments in Botswana, the United States, South Africa and Denmark. After his first “retirement”, eager to share his knowledge and love for diplomacy and international relations, he evolved into Professor Bhasin. In his almost 20 years at Stony Brook University, he exposed thousands of young people to the power of diplomacy over conflict, the wonders of South and East Asia, and the complexities of the geopolitics of India, China and the United States.
Harshji was a devoted husband to his constant companion Kumkum for 52 years, as they moved almost 15 times across continents. Dadaji and Nana had boundless love for his grandchildren Shreyas, Shivanjali, Aashna and Jayna – with whom the next game of bluff, the next story-reading and the errant chocolate ice cream was never too much. And Pa was a father to Aditya (Kate) and Madhuri (Dan) who raised them through his example of pursuing excellence, of honesty and honor, and of course, a love of pizza, chocolate, and anything sweet. Our family, and the thousands of people he touched, will miss him dearly.
Visitation and prayers will be held from 11am-1pm on Tuesday March 28 at Moloney’s Lake Funeral Home (132 Ronkonkoma Ave., Lake Ronkonkoma, NY 11779), followed by refreshments.
In lieu of flowers, we request that you make a contribution to support an award in Ambassador Bhasin’s name for Stony Brook students interested in a career in the foreign service (details below).
To make a contribution, please visit https://tinyurl.com/HarshBhasin .
When making your contribution check the box on the second page under Tribute Information, select “in Memory of”, and insert Ambassador Bhasin’s name.
If you would like to send a check, please make your check out to the Stony Brook Foundation (with Ambassador Bhasin’s name in the memo section) and mail it to:
Attn: Chris Scarpati
E3320 Frank Melville Jr. Library
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3391
Ambassador Bhasin was a Visiting Professor of International Relations & Diplomacy at Stony Brook since 2001 and served as Chair of the Department of Asian & Asian-American Studies from 2008 to 2014 before rejoining the Department of Political Science in 2014. He holds an M.Sc degree from Banaras Hindu University.
A career diplomat with four decades of professional experience in nine countries across the globe, his overseas assignments included China, Malaysia, the US, Hong Kong, Nepal, Botswana, South Africa and Denmark. He served as Ambassador in the last three countries.
At the Headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, India, Ambassador Bhasin served at different times during his career in Personnel Administration, as the Deputy/Acting Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), as Head of the Division handling matters pertaining to SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and as Inspector of the Foreign Service.
During his Foreign Service career, he served twice in the United States – in Washington DC in the late 70s and early 80s, and as Consul General of India in New York in the mid-90s . During the 1990-91 academic year he was a senior fellow at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. He is also a graduate of the National Defense College of India, New Delhi and holds an M.Phil Degree in Defense & Strategic Studies. Some notable highlights of his professional career in the foreign service include serving in the Peoples Republic of China during the Cultural Revolution and in South Africa during its transition from apartheid to a multiracial society. He was an Election Observer at South Africa’s first multiracial election (1993) that brought Nelson Mandela to power in that country.
In the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook, Ambassador Bhasin taught courses on the Politics and Diplomacy of Contemporary China, Politics and Diplomacy of Contemporary India, Problems of International Affairs and other courses on Diplomacy and Foreign Policy.