Mr Keshav Desiraju passed away today in Chennai after a massive cardiac arrest before I got a chance to call him. I used to wish him on Teacher’s Day every year because he was a Guru for me in so many ways. Probably the only person I have ever thought of as a Guru.
He was the quintessential liberal.
Always gentle and generous – and polite to a fault – but with an unmistakable moral compass. About things that really matter.
Some of us used to hang out regularly in his cosy little home in Mussoorie where he was our Course Director. His homes everywhere were full of books and vinyl records ranging from Western Classical to Carnatic. We lived in different cities but visited one another over the years whenever either of us got a chance. He used to play Jazz for me whenever I visited him alone 😊.
He never missed wishing me on my Birthday and laughed about the fact that I used to forget his.
KD, as he was referred to by many of us from the 1986 batch of the Civil Sevices, had settled in Chennai after retiring as Union Health Secretary. He wrote a biography of the legendary singer MS Subbulakshmi which was published by Harper Collins last year. Ironically, today is the birthday of Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, who was KD’s maternal grandfather.
Happy Teacher’s Day Sir ! I hope you are in a better place which you will make still better with your noble soul. You will be sorely missed !
#KeshavDesiraju #Teacher #Mentor #Memories #Jazz #Carnatic #IAS #LBSNA #Radhakrishnan #Teachers Day
An ordinary life 