Chandu Desai

Chandu Desai was born in Mumbai, India in 1936. As one of five children living with his parents in a modest, two-room home in Bora Bazaar, he left India for higher learning and greater opportunities. He was the first to leave the country from his family when he moved to the United States in the early sixties to attend Pharmacy School in Kansas City, Missouri. Upon graduation, he moved his family to California (the Bay Area) where he lived the rest of his days. Although Chandu always had a passion for the arts, he supported his family by working in the health-care and technology arenas. However, upon retiring, he rekindled some of his true passions and spent most of his time as an artist and philosopher: dancing, writing, painting, practicing yoga and espousing the principals of Jainism. In the last phase of this life, he combined the artist and philosopher in him, by painting with Jainism as his Muse. He hoped individuals would not only appreciate the aesthetic, but also understand the message and be inspired to learn more about Jainism. His legacy lives on through his family and many friends. As his motto “Soul Matters” suggests, we truly believe his spirit lives on in a further liberated state.