Nirmal Kumar Chandra, former professor of economics at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) passed away on 19 March 2014 after a brief illness. A heterodox economist and socialist thinker, he was first and foremost a legendary teacher who inspired his students to take the “road less well travelled”. A prolific contributor to the pages of the EPW he also belonged to a generation of heterodox scholars who encouraged students and researchers to publish in Indian journals rather than those in the west which were hegemonised by liberal and then neo-liberal academia.

 

Of the large number of students he taught at IIM Calcutta, many, influenced by his unorthodox arguments about the problems plaguing Indian economy and society, chose to pursue higher studies in economics. This includes two editors of this journal and dozens of others who gave up corporate careers to pursue doctoral studies in economics, many under his guidance, while others studied at universities in India and abroad. Influenced by his research there were also those who came to IIM Calcutta to specifically work under his supervision.

 

“Nirmal da” (Chandra hereafter), as he was fondly called by his numerous students and younger colleagues, joined IIM Calcutta in 1966 and in a way never left. Even after his retirement, he had a small room where he would beaver away on his computer, producing another two dozen papers, most of them published in the pages of EPW.

Nirmal Kumar Chandra, former professor of economics at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) passed away on 19 March 2014 after a brief illness. A heterodox economist and socialist thinker, he was first and foremost a legendary teacher who inspired his students to take the “road less well travelled”. A prolific contributor to the pages of the EPW he also belonged to a generation of heterodox scholars who encouraged students and researchers to publish in Indian journals rather than those in the west which were hegemonised by liberal and then neo-liberal academia.

 

Of the large number of students he taught at IIM Calcutta, many, influenced by his unorthodox arguments about the problems plaguing Indian economy and society, chose to pursue higher studies in economics. This includes two editors of this journal and dozens of others who gave up corporate careers to pursue doctoral studies in economics, many under his guidance, while others studied at universities in India and abroad. Influenced by his research there were also those who came to IIM Calcutta to specifically work under his supervision.

 

“Nirmal da” (Chandra hereafter), as he was fondly called by his numerous students and younger colleagues, joined IIM Calcutta in 1966 and in a way never left. Even after his retirement, he had a small room where he would beaver away on his computer, producing another two dozen papers, most of them published in the pages of EPW.

Work Experience: Prof. Partha Sarathi Dasgupta had extensive experience in software development and systems programming across academic and industrial environments. At IIT Kharagpur, he developed applications in Fortran for student-related projects and created database solutions for the Stores & Purchase Division using dBASE. He also wrote C programs for MP/M and UNIX-based systems, provided customer training on UNIX minicomputers, and demonstrated graphics utilities along with the UNIFY relational DBMS package. His work included troubleshooting MP/M and UNIX machines, developing software in 8085 assembly language for cash registers and electronic devices, and authoring technical write-ups on CAD. Additionally, he completed practical training in R&D at a reputed electronics company, held membership in the Institution of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineers, and was a founder member of the Indian Association of College-going Scientists. Prof. Dasgupta served in Calcutta from 1987 until his passing in 2016.

Work Experience: Prof. Partha Sarathi Dasgupta had extensive experience in software development and systems programming across academic and industrial environments. At IIT Kharagpur, he developed applications in Fortran for student-related projects and created database solutions for the Stores & Purchase Division using dBASE. He also wrote C programs for MP/M and UNIX-based systems, provided customer training on UNIX minicomputers, and demonstrated graphics utilities along with the UNIFY relational DBMS package. His work included troubleshooting MP/M and UNIX machines, developing software in 8085 assembly language for cash registers and electronic devices, and authoring technical write-ups on CAD. Additionally, he completed practical training in R&D at a reputed electronics company, held membership in the Institution of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineers, and was a founder member of the Indian Association of College-going Scientists. Prof. Dasgupta served in Calcutta from 1987 until his passing in 2016.

MBA(University of Mumbai), Ph.D (University of Mumbai)Work Experience: Prof. Prafulla Y. Agnihotri has been associated with the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Deemed University), one of India’s leading business schools, since March 1996. He initially served as an Associate Professor in Marketing and International Business Management until March 2004, after which he took on the role of Professor in the same areas. From April 2004, he was entrusted with the responsibility of heading the Marketing Department, and he also became a member of the University’s Board of Management, the apex academic body guiding the institution’s operations. His long-standing contributions reflect his commitment to academic excellence and institutional development. Prof. Agnihotri later served at IIM Calcutta from July 3, 2006, until his voluntary resignation on January 12, 2021.

MBA(University of Mumbai), Ph.D (University of Mumbai)Work Experience: Prof. Prafulla Y. Agnihotri has been associated with the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Deemed University), one of India’s leading business schools, since March 1996. He initially served as an Associate Professor in Marketing and International Business Management until March 2004, after which he took on the role of Professor in the same areas. From April 2004, he was entrusted with the responsibility of heading the Marketing Department, and he also became a member of the University’s Board of Management, the apex academic body guiding the institution’s operations. His long-standing contributions reflect his commitment to academic excellence and institutional development. Prof. Agnihotri later served at IIM Calcutta from July 3, 2006, until his voluntary resignation on January 12, 2021.