K.N. Raj centenary celebrations: alumni of Centre for Development Studies take a trip down memory lane

Alumni from the very first decade of CDS’ founding in the 1970s to its more recent batches attended the event. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to open three-day conference and release a souvenir as part of the celebrations on Sunday

P.K. Michael Tharakan, former chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research, recalls the time when K.N. Raj, the eminent economist, went on a visit to China. It was the 1970s and young Tharakan was then doing his MPhil at the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), a creation of Prof. Raj.

“In those days, visiting China was considered to be very rare. He came back with two toys; one for C.T.S Nair’s (Prof. Tharakan’s batchmate and former Indian Forest Service officer) daughter and one for my daughter. I still hold on to that toy as a precious gift,” he said.

That and other recollections and anecdotes about Prof. Raj and the CDS were the highlight of a gathering of alumni organised by the institute on Saturday, October 19, as part of a four-day Prof K.N. Raj centenary celebrations.

Mr. C.T.S. Nair, who joined the first MPhil batch along with Prof. Tharakan in the 1970s, had come to the CDS from a forestry background, being an IFS officer. “At my interview I said I did not have any background in economics other than doing cost and benefit calculation of some plantations,” he said. The first thing that Prof. Raj told him was that he was the right person to join CDS because he had around four years of solid field experience. “The second thing that he told me was that most of the mainstream economists will have to do a lot of ‘unlearning,’ and that I won’t have to do that,” Mr. Nair said.

Alumni from the very first decade of CDS’ founding in the 1970s to its more recent batches attended the event, sharing memories and reuniting with batchmates. They related how CDS, with its Laurie Baker-designed buildings and welcoming academic environment, proved to be an eye-opener and a turning point in their lives. Returning to Kerala in 1971, Prof. Raj established CDS at Ulloor, Thiruvananthapuram. Saturday’s event paid rich tributes to Prof. Raj’s vision as an economist and institution builder, his ability as a teacher, and his contributions to national economic planning.

The alumni from the 1970s batches remembered how CDS remained an “island of free-thinking environment” during the Emergency. Many, who were scholars then and in the decades to come recalled the emphasis their teachers placed on rigour in the research process.

Rachel Simon-Kumar, who currently teaches at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, remembers hearing the term ‘multidisciplinary’ for the first time when she came to the CDS. “Here the term ‘multidisciplinary’ was used quite avidly and in a quite engaged way. The people that I talked to, listened to, or were taught by, came from multiple disciplines,” she said, adding that the experience stood her in good stead in her academic career.

Among the persons who came half-way around the world for the reunion was Gareth Wall from the UK. Mr. Wall did his MPhil at CDS during 2008-2010. He remembers being impressed by the CDS campus, designed by a “fellow Brit” (Laurie Baker). Mr. Wall’s dissertation was on ‘Social Capital and the Sectoral System of Innovation: The case of Vazhakulam Pineapple, Kerala, South India.’ Chandrika Sharma, who did her MPhil during 1993-96 was remembered at the reunion. Ms. Sharma was on board the Malaysian airline, Flight MH-370, that vanished without a trace in 2014. CDS currently has the Chandrika Sharma Endowment Fund and Prize in her memory.

Among the CDS alumni and faculty who were part of Saturday’s event were former directors K.P. Kannan and Sunil Mani, State Finance Commission chairman K.N. Harilal, K.J. Joseph who is director of the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation, T.K. Sundari Raveendran, retired professor, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, and State Planning Board member K. Ravi Raman. CDS director C. Veeramani and faculty members were also present.

Ms. Sundari Raveendran was elected president of the CDS Alumni Association. Beena P.L. is the secretary, Harilal Madhavan is the joint secretary while Keshab Das and Dennis Rajakumar were elected vice presidents. On Sunday, October 20, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will open a three-day conference and release a souvenir as part of the celebrations.

Published - October 19, 2024 08:17 pm IST