A meeting in memory of Prof N. Krishnaji was held at the Joan Robinson Hall on 13 November, 2019. Prof Sunil Mani, Director said that Prof N. Krishnaji who recently passed away was a Professor at the Centre from 1972 to 1979. Although he was at the Centre for a short period of time, his influence over the kind of applied research and especially detailed data analysis is quite extensive. He said that several of the Centre’s alumni have become important analysts of India’s and Kerala’s economy and acknowledge the indelible mark he made on their analytical apparatus. It is therefore only fit that we remember Krishnaji’s many contributions to CDS.
Dr TM Thomas Issac, alumni and Honorary Fellow of CDS and also the Hon’ble Finance Minister of Kerala was the lead speaker. He reflected on his association with Prof Krishnaji. He recollected the time when he and Prof AV Jose were both students of Prof Krishnaji. More than just a mentor and guide he was also closely associated with him at the personal and family level. A noteworthy feature was that he always found time to spend time with his students, even during his busy schedule.
Next to share his experiences was Prof AV Jose. He said that he was always overwhelmed with the wide array of knowledge that Prof Krishnaji had, and this was evident from the vast library of books that he had at home. He also had a knack of making a usually difficult topic seemingly easy for the students. What impressed Jose most was his simplicity and down-to-earthness and the fact that he never went in search of glory and honour.
In memory of Prof Krishnaji it was decided to name the hall next to the Subrahmanian Hall in the Panikar building as “Krishnaji Hall”. Dr Thomas Isaac unveiled a plaque which will be placed outside the hall.