Dr. Anand Akerkar

Dr. Anand Akerkar, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on January 4 in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

Born February 25, 1940 to Sakharam and Durgabai Akerkar in Kankavli in the Indian State of Maharashtra, Anand was very precocious. At a very young age, he questioned everything- why was there a caste system, why are certain customs in place. He followed his own rules if the ones in place did not make sense to him.  He also had a gift for math and at age 5 was able to do arithmetic allowing him to skip grades.  His parents and 4 siblings lived in a single room with no running water or electricity. These circumstances propelled Anand to work hard, maximize his memory as he could not afford books and develop an entrepreneurial spirit hiring and managing other kids to make bags from old notebooks to earn money to help his family.

In the 1960s, he earned a scholarship to Ruparel College for his bachelors, and then pursued his masters and doctoral degrees in Organic Chemistry from the University of Bombay where he met Shobha.

In order to pursue graduate studies, Anand had to work full-time at Ciba-Geigy while being simultaneously enrolled in a PhD program often working 20 hours /day. After Anand accepted a postdoctoral fellowship in New York with an NIH grant, they lived in Queens and raised two children Geetanjali and Sanket.  While at NYU, Anand met Nobel Laureate Dr. Rosalyn Yallo who strengthened his belief that you should think out of the box and if someone says something in research cannot be done - don’t give up. This philosophy led to countless and widely cited publications. As first-generation Indian Americans, he and Shobha honored their cultural heritage by serving as founding members of the New York Maharashtra Mandal Foundation.

Anand left academia and NYC moving to Rockland County in 1974 and worked in industry at Becton Dickinson and Technicon rising to serve as director of Research and Development. In 1986  Anand joined MDI Consultants and served as President and CEO partnering with Alan Schwartz for over 30 years.  He founded CST technology in 1986 making synthetic serum and urine for the sole purpose of providing an alternative to companies for diagnostic testing. Anand traveled the globe earning the praise and loyalty of clients who applauded his keen insights and novel problem-solving approach.

In 2013, Anand and Shobha moved to Carlisle, MA, where they found friends at the Council on Aging, the Indian community, and Kennedy Meadows. They spent time nurturing Avi, Amar, and Neil. Anand discussed current events at the bus stop, inspiring a love of science, research, and math on many walks in Carlisle.

Colleagues, friends, and family cherished Anand for his unconventional wisdom, sharp wit, and unique approach to life. He will be deeply missed by many.

Throughout his life, he generously shared his time, opinions, and a sense of humor with his children Geetanjali and Sanket, their spouses Russell and Anita, his grandchildren (Neil, Avi, Amar, Sejal, Avani) and his siblings Umesh, Hiru and Shali. 

In lieu of flowers, the Akerkar family appreciates donations in his memory to be sent directly to the following organizations:

• American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org
• Care Dimensions: www.caredimensions.org
• Udayan Shalini Fellowship: www.udayancare.org ; www.udayancareusa.org

The Akerkar family is most grateful for the outpouring of support from family and friends during this very difficult and challenging time.