Distinguished former Mississippi State University Political Science Professor Dr. Krishnaprasad G. (Krish) Bhansali, 93, died at his Starkville home May 27, 2021 while in hospice care following an extended illness.

A visitation will be held at Welch Funeral Home Friday, June 4, 2021 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

“Dr. Bhansali was a gentle but transformative figure in the lives of so many MSU students and a mentor to those pursuing advanced degrees in Political Science,” said MSU Director of Public Affairs Sid Salter, one of Bhansali’s former students. “He and the late Dr. “Tip” Allen were close friends and they really embraced the success of their students through service and sincere interest. Dr. Bhansali certainly had a great impact on my world view.”

A native of Mahudha, India, Dr. Bhansali was born on Feb. 27, 1928. He was a highly respected professor of Political Science at MSU from 1967 until 2011. He came to MSU after teaching Political Science at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas from 1962-1967.

After earning his undergraduate degree at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal in India, Dr. Bhansali came to the U.S. to pursue his dream of teaching. He worked from 1951-61 at the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C. while attaining his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from American University in Washington.

Dr. Bhansali was an active member of the Starkville Rotary Club from 1985 until his death. While a proud American and Mississippian, he maintained a lifelong love of the culture and history of his beloved India.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 30 years, Julie Sklarsky Bhansali, in 1991 and his brother, Dr. Kantilal Bhansali of Houston, Texas in 2020.

Dr. Bhansali is survived by son Dr. Anil P. Bhansali (Jennifer) of Madison; granddaughters Julia and Alyssa Bhansali of Madison; niece Sushi Parikh of Starkville; sister-in-law Carolyn Bhansali of Houston, Texas; and nieces Maya Bhansali Huddleston (Ray) of Wylie, Texas, and Sita Bhansali Brown (Jeff) of Cypress, Texas; niece Lata Bhansali (Dilip) of Congers, New York, and nephew Kaushik Parikh (Bharti) of Germantown, Tennessee.

In addition to these special family members, he is survived by numerous other relatives around the world.

A devout man who observed the Hindu faith, Dr. Bhansali offered these thoughts prior to his passing: “Hinduism claims no single founder or definitive holy book, nor does its origin date back to any single point in time. Considered by historians to be the world’s oldest religion, Hinduism has been in practice for at least 5,000 years.”

In lieu of flowers, and should friends choose to make memorial gifts, the family suggests these be directed to the MSU Krish Bhansali Endowed Scholarship in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration in the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State University c/o the MSU Foundation, P.O. Box 6149, Mississippi State, MS 39762.