Satwant Singh

Mrs. Satwant Singh was born on March 13, 1934, as Satwant Kaur Chhabra in a place named Vihari, now in Pakistan. She was the youngest of a family of 7 siblings of 5 brothers and 2 sisters. She completed her middle school education from Lahore, now in Pakistan. After Partition of India, she migrated to Amritsar, India in August of 1947 and eventually settled in Dehradun where one of her brothers was working. She completed her high school in 1950 from Dehradun and her Bachelor of Arts in 1954. In1956, she obtained a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from University of Saugar in Jabalpur. All this time she was also an active sports enthusiast having played badminton at the state level. She put her education to use by working as a school counselor in Bilaspur. She continued doing that for 6 years until her marriage in August of 1962 in Delhi. After her marriage, the couple moved to Shillong because of her husband's job. She worked there as a headmistress of a high school. A year later her husband's job took them to Kolkata. From 1963 to 1966, she worked as a psychology counselor in Kolkata for the Vocational and Educational Training Institute. During their time in Kolkata, the couple were blessed with their first child, Upinder in 1965. In 1966, her husband's job took the family to Ranchi where she decided to pursue a PhD in psychology at the University of Ranchi. Having witnessed firsthand the trauma during the Partition of India of one of the greatest human migrations in world history, she wanted to study how stress from such events impacts school children. In 1967, the couple were blessed with their second child, Rupinder. Balancing motherhood, her studies and work, she also began teaching at a local school. In 1970, her husband's job took her to the hill resort town of Mussoorie (right next to where she went to high school in Dehradun). She continued to pursue her PhD - collecting data from local schools in Mussoorie. In 1972, her husband's job took her to Delhi. She continued to pursue her PhD - collecting data from local schools in Delhi. In 1973, her husband's job took her to London, UK. Her children were 7 and 9 years old. She took up a job as a teacher with London Middle Schools. When her husband returned to India in 1974 with the kids, she stayed back continuing her job. She returned to India in December of the same year and along with the kids, came back to London. While her husband's job took him to Afghanistan and several cities in India, she stayed in London bringing up her children, working as a schoolteacher and putting the finishing touches on her PhD thesis. In April of 1976 after a successful oral defense of her dissertation - which was conducted in London, Mrs. Satwant Singh became Dr. Satwant Singh. In recognition of her 10-year effort and a 500-page thesis, “A study of the relationship between children's reactions to frustrations and their home environment”, the University of Ranchi awarded her a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology. The thesis acknowledges "the immense cooperation and inspiration extended by my husband". From 1974-1978, she also continued to raise her children and work as a teacher in London. In March of 1978 at the invitation of her brother who had settled there, she moved to Youngstown, Ohio, USA with her children. In 1980, she started work as a Licensed Psychologist in Columbus, Ohio and from 1986 until her retirement in 2004 as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Virginia. Her primary focus was on mental health issues. During these years she saw her son become a successful architect and her daughter a successful physician. She also celebrated the marriage of her children and the blossoming of her family with five grandchildren - Ishani Singh, Karan Jaggi, Milan Singh, Leena Jaggi and Kabir Singh. Her immediate family also includes her son-in-law Sandeep Jaggi and her daughter-in-law - Sharmila Sen. Asked for 3 words that describe her, her son called her aspirational, focused and as a woman with perseverance. Her daughter describes her as strong, direct and an excellent cook. Her husband describes her as loving, forgiving and as "truly my better half". Dr. Satwant Singh was a motivated, dedicated and resilient woman, wife, mother and friend. She always pushed to better herself, her family and her friends. She was a psychologist who cared deeply about her patients and brought that same level of empathy to her family and friends.

Tributes

Satwant Singh

March 13, 1934 - December 26, 2023