Margaret Chatterjee, who has died aged 93, was a member of the philosophy department at the University of Delhi for 30 years, and its professor of philosophy from 1977 until 1990. From the 1960s onwards, she published widely, at first on philosophical topics and then increasingly on aspects of the life and work of the Indian independence leader MK Gandhi. Gandhi’s Religious Thought (1983) was one of many volumes that established her reputation as a leading scholar in the field.

Born in London to Edith (nee Hickman) and Norman Gantzer, Margaret spent most of her childhood in Dorset. Her father had been a civil servant in India and married Edith when he returned to Britain. Together they visited many churches, taking Margaret along, and this was her introduction to both religion and music, which were to play a large part in her life.

Margaret was educated by her father until the age of eight. On leaving Parkstone grammar school, she went to Somerville College, Oxford, in 1943 to study philosophy, politics and economics. There she met Nripendra Nath Chatterjee, a professor of English in India, whom she married in 1946. They settled in Delhi and soon had three children – a son, Malay, and two daughters, Nilima and Amala.

After Margaret’s father died in 1953, her mother went to India and helped to look after the children while Margaret started her career. Margaret took her doctorate at the University of Delhi in 1961 and joined the staff, becoming reader and then professor of philosophy. She travelled frequently, for conferences and as visiting professor, to South Africa, the US, Canada, the UK and Israel. It was more than 20 years ago, on one of her visits to Oxford and the Gandhi Foundation in London, that I first met her.

Important positions that she held included director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Simla (1986-89) and vice-president of the International Society for Metaphysics.

Margaret was a popular and able teacher and in her retirement wrote about the many people, some famous, that she had met on her travels. Music was always important to her and she was an excellent pianist, with an extensive knowledge of western classical music. For many years she was music critic of the Indian English-language newspaper the Statesman.

Nripendra died in 1983, and with failing eyesight Margaret moved two years ago to be cared for at the Delhi home of her son and his wife, Meera.

Amala predeceased Margaret, who is survived by Malay and Nilima.