Murlidhar Vasudeo Kulkarni

Beloved husband and uncle, Murlidhar Vasudeo Kulkarni (Bobo) was born in Kenjal, Maharashtra, India, the youngest of 17 children. He used to walk 8 miles to and from school to the neighboring town of Wai.  He met his future wife, Malati (Malu) L. Joshi at the tender age of 12, through a friendship he developed with Malu’s brother, Madhukar.  Their paths crossed again, in Pune, India, when both were in college, and Bobo became her tutor, with full intention of asking for Malu’s hand, taking Madhukar into his confidence as, at that time, Love marriages were rare and often rejected by the parents.
Murli received his B.S. and M.Sc at Ferguson College. Soon after, her family consented and in 1957 he married Malu and settled in Pune, while he taught as a lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry and Malu finished her degree.  In 1960 Bobo and Malu embarked from Mumbai, India on the Hellenic Sky, a Greek ship liner, stopping in Djibouti, Cairo, and Alexandria, finally reaching port on the shores of N.J., with the Statue of Liberty in their wake, for Bobo to begin his PhD at Yale University.  Malu took babysitting jobs to help put food on the table.  After graduating, he taught for one year at Southern. Massachusetts Technological Institute, and then they moved to Fishkill, NY to begin a 26 yr long career at IBM, receiving a 4th plateau invention award, and culminating his career in San Jose, California.  Bobo and Malu moved to Salt Lake City in 1996 to be near family and retire, consulting at Ceramatec and LoTech as a researcher.
Bobo made lifelong friends through his love of music. He met many famous Indian Classical musicians, hosting them in their home.  His passion for music spread amongst many of his family members and friends, with his music speakers being the envy of all.
Bobo was an educator at heart. He loved asking questions to which he already knew the answers and he loved to teach anyone in the kitchen wielding a knife how to precisely cut a specific fruit or vegetable.   Bobo’s lifelong dream was to build a school in his dear hometown of Kenjal. Walking those miles each day to go to school may be a nostalgic tale of which to reminisce, but the reality was different.  His dream became a reality in 2005 and was one of his proudest achievements.
Although Malu and Bobo never had any children, they were a magnet to their many nieces and nephews. He died on May 29, 2016 after a lingering illness, surrounded by Malu, his wife of 60 years, 9 nieces and nephews and 2 brothers-in-law as he took his last breaths.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution at: www.ymad.org (Youth making a Difference) c/o the Wai Project or a cash donation by check (memo: Wai Project) Payable to:
Youth Making a Difference (or YMAD)
2597 West 2780South
West Jordan, UT 84084