Regret never having met him. Will now never get the chance Can ilugd put up a Wikipedia page immortalising him?
I don't know enough abt him apart awe-struck and respectful references by colleagues Sent from Handheld. Kindly ignore typos if any... Regards Varad Gupta On Dec 13, 2012 11:45 PM, "Sudhir Gandotra" <[email protected]> wrote: > Let us wish his wife, kids and rest of the family, the strength to > reconcile with this reality of life, where, they will not see him > physically and will need the strength to live on. > > Sudhir Gandotra > > On Thu, Dec 13, 2012 at 11:38 PM, Andrew Lynn <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > On Thu, Dec 13, 2012 at 9:38 AM, Supreet Sethi <[email protected] > > >wrote: > > > > > Yesterday's news, of Raj moving on, is shocking. I met him through > ilugd > > > and came to know better of him through various activities of ilugd that > > he > > > helped organize. He was brutally honest and that made him special. He > > was > > > special because with those piercing words, he could get through to you > > > better. Yesterday night, I visited his drawing room, which played host > to > > > many linux-dellhi events. Niyam playfully called it opium den. The > opium > > > den was filled with people, Andrew, Gora and Friji. The trade-mark > green > > > camouflage was lying life-less on the low diwan. For a second, I > > imagined a > > > cup of coffee and creme, which was kind of ritual commencement of > > > linux-delhi meetings, with Kishore bringing the coffee and Raj > arranging > > > for cups and creme. The cup of coffee is not there any more, that table > > is > > > missing and more importantly Raj has checked out of the opium den. > > > > > > > > Raj had a heart attack at ~7 pm, on 12/12/12. It was during a phone-call > > with a client, who alerted Tirveni. > > > > Tirveni got through to his neighbours who took him to the nearest > hospital, > > where, unfortunately, it was too late for any medical intervention. > Friji, > > visiting Delhi, and Gora also rushed to the hospital, but were only in > time > > to help the family with making arrangements for the morgue. > > > > His body was cremated at 3:00 pm, today. Thereafter, those of us from > ILUGD > > who attended, repaired to Sanjha Chula, and reminisced about the > occasions > > gone by. Fitting, as Kishore later told me - Twenty years ago, when he > > started a BBS out of Lajpat Nagar, the few who turned up went over to the > > same place - the start of the tradition of meeting and eating that was to > > be ILUGD. > > > > I got to know Raj seven years ago, when ILUGD was in transition from the > > tangible meet-and-eat, to the intangible list-that-is-now-[ilugd]. Along > > with Gora, Kishore and Mary, he proposed to seed the development of open > > source software within a university environment. We coordinated a > nascent > > drug discovery software, bravely worked on by students largely from the > > RKGIT, Ghaziabad. Thereafter, were our meetings that lead to the use of > the > > university as a base for initially Freedel, and later Freed.in. > > > > His sudden passing is a shock and a loss. However, his life was full, and > > rich with achievement. Besides the character traits of "Brutal Honesty", > > "Man of Principles", "Zero-Compromise", and his achievements to the FOSS > > world, I also rate highly the fact that he has served as a magnet and > > mentor for young hackers from the Delhi area, all of whom have gone on to > > do well on the world stage. And his strong belief that FOSS was not a > > charity or religion, but a philosophy and way of life, and livelihood, > for > > an independent SME. > > > > I shall miss the coffee-and-cream. The vibrant discussions on FOSS. And > > generally hanging around with him listening to 70's rock, watching movies > > on his larger screen monitor and occasionally lapsing into a life > before > > the digital age. > > > > Andrew > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Ilugd mailing list > [email protected] > http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd > _______________________________________________ Ilugd mailing list [email protected] http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd
