Reminiscences- Krishna Raj

The news that Krishna Raj had died filled me with despair, and this attempt to write about him is mainly to overcome it, for I know how sad he would be to leave us in despair. When I recall how major a role he played in shaping a significant phase of my life, I am struck by the moral authority he carried. A letter from him put one under strain, of the kind I have felt under no other editor in English (in Hindi, the late Raghuvir Sahay exercised similar power, but his means and reasons for success had an altogether different context). Krishna Raj corresponded and talked with startling modesty which seemed quite unnecessary but it was not part of any design to persuade. It conveyed a feeling that he knew precisely why what I would write was necessary for him to have. The ease and the intimacy reminded one of an older time zone of which I have no direct experience; only a vague impression.