M N Srinivas

The death of M N Srinivas has  not only taken away a father figure in the realm of teaching of sociology and researching on the subject but also a friend, philosopher and guide to many in different related intellectual disciplines. His sensitivities to different social, educational and political issues have been well known. Most prominently, he was truly a man of culture. What distinguished him among sociologists was his conscious attempts at enriching the core of knowledge through case studies and integration of the findings of the case studies into the main trunk of knowledge in sociology. This was not an easy task and sociology was still in its infancy when he started the department of sociology in the University of Delhi. His totally cosmopolitan outlook showed up in mustering talent for the department from different parts of the country and different institutions, almost all of whom have made their mark. His leadership qualities were of a high order and his humaneness was exemplary. It was V K R V Rao who thought that under the roof of the School of Economics, Delhi University should have different but related departments so that there could be some integration of ideas through continuous interaction. So we had in the Delhi School of Economics the departments of economic administration, sociology, commerce, economics and management as also human geography. Sociology, commerce and human geography, having grown to their full stature, have moved to separate buildings in the vicinity of the School.

Srinivas was known for espousing several new ideas such as ‘sanskritisation’. One wondered at the tremendous sensibilities that he had on issues of current interest including politics, education, religion, caste and what not. Several scholars did PhD under his supervision whose works were internationally acclaimed for the high standard that they attained. Serious and sincere in his efforts with a lot of patience for piecing together dispersed bodies of evidence, his intellectual curiosity knew no bounds. In fact, his vivacity and organising capacity instilled a vibrancy that set precedents for many others.