Nithini's facebook status

From: Kiran Kamath 

Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 14:11:45 +0530

To: Ram Krishnaswamy 

Subject: Fwd: Vik Mam's Poem

Hello Ram,

Vikram's son found this poem in his office desk so

wanted to share it with u all.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Bhavana Kamath 

Date: Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 7:48 PM

Subject: Vik Mam's Poem

To: Kiran Kamath , Ajith Kamath 

Amma/Aji,

This is from Nithini's facebook status:

Upon cleaning out my dad's office at work, I found a poem that he apparently had kept, which I found very special. Oddly enough, it was the only poem in his entire office that he kept after countless years. I hope this poem can be as convalescent to others who've suffered loss as it has been to me...

"Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow, 

I am the diamond glints on snow. 

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush...

Of quiet birds in circling flight,

I am the soft star-shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there, I did not die."

TRIBUTE TO VIKRAM

by 
Prof.J.Srinivasan, Jayant Baliga, Rajaram Bhat, Mutharasan, Vedamanickam & Kalyanasundaram

I met Vikram soon after I joined IIT Madras. Since we were from Bangalore, we travelled back to Bangalore together on many occasions. Both of us were keenly interested in academics and hence had many intense discussions on how a subject should have been taught. 

After graduating from IIT Madras both of us got Assistantship at SUNY, Stony Brook. Vikram, Jayanth Baliga and I travelled together to USA in September 1969. We had  a wonderful travel experiences in Zurich and London on the way to New York. At SUNY, Vikram and I were room mates during the summer. After his Master's degree Vikram went to Canada while I went to Stanford. We kept in touch and he visited me in 1974 and we travelled to Yosemite National park.

After I returned to India, Vikram ensured that he met me every time he came to Bangalore. I convinced him to go on the Annapurna trek in 1998 although I could not join him. 

On Saturday 28 December 2013, he came to my house and we had a wonderful time talking about the 1969 reunion and topics of mutual interest for 6 hours. He was very happy that he was able to take his mother and sister to the 1969 reunion.

He mentioned, in a lighter vein, that he was the best preserved person in our batch. 

During all these years I have never seen him get angry at anyone or abuse anybody. I remember his smiling face as he left my house and assured me that he will come every year since his mother was getting old. 

I was stunned when I heard the next day that he had died in his sleep on Saturday night. He did not suffer at the end but his mother, wife, sons and friends have to deal with this sudden loss of a gentle soul

J.Srinivasan

Indian Institute of Science,

Bangalore 560012

Phone: 91-80-22933068 or 23600450

email:jayes@caos.iisc.ernet.in
_________________________________________________

Vikram was my best friend during our 5 years together at IIT-M. We spent countless hours not just studying together but more often going on long walks where we discussed many far ranging topics. Vikram always impressed me with his superior intellect and he was much more knowledgeable about everything. I envied his ability to grasp complex concepts easily and retain this knowledge while I had to spend many hours to reach his level of understanding. I am happy that we stayed in touch after our graduation from IIT-M, and I was extremely happy that he attending my son’s wedding several years ago.  Ironically, I just got back from a trip to India to attend a wedding and heard the tragic news. It would have been wonderful to meet with him again at J.S.’s place in Bangalore. J.S. informed me that Vikram was very excited about the IIT-M reunion and the joy of meeting old classmates. We will all miss him dearly.

Jayant Baliga

bjbaliga@ncsu.edu

_____________________________________________
Vikram, as I remember him

Vikram’s passing has left all those who knew him a lot poorer.  They say that those who the gods envy die young.  This certainly is true in Vikram’s case.  I came to know Vikram at IIT.  The initial attraction was that we were both from Bangalore but it grew into a strong friendship in the five years we were together.  

With his ready smile and pleasant personality he made friends easily.  He was easy going and read voraciously on a wide variety of topics.  While most of us hardly found time to do general reading and struggled with the course work, he had no difficulty in keeping up and acing all the exams.  He was quite generous in sharing his knowledge.  I remember well him showing me how to use the slide rule more efficiently.  

He had the ambition of going to USA  and had acquired a detailed knowledge of the country.  He knew the various boroughs of New York, the streets in Manhattan and the location of all its landmarks!  

After IIT, I kept in touch with him.  He stayed with me at my parent’s home in Bangalore on his first trip back to India after he left to study in USA.  

His enthusiasm for travel and seeing places was evident even at that time as he had chosen to fly to India via Moscow so that the he could spend some time seeing the place.  

Like many of our classmates for many years we lived our lives without much contact with each other although I did keep track of him through common friends.  However, in the last 10 to 15 years as we got past 50 many of us reached out to rekindle old friendships.  The internet certainly made it easier.  

In the last few years Vikram, Mutharasan and I exchanged emails on topics of mutual interest (history, travel, books, etc).  He was a font of knowledge and could be counted on giving a very scholarly reply to questions on many topics.  Yet he was quite unassuming and humble.  He would recommend some books that he had read and give thoughtful and incisive analysis of them.  It was impossible to keep-up with him – he was such a fast and voracious reader!   

I last saw Vikram in 2008 at Jayant Baliga’s son’s wedding.  It is hard to accept that he is not with us anymore.  However, we should all be thankful of the time we spent together and the thoughts we shared.  He lives within us.

Rajaram Bhat
Corning, NY, USA
rbhat@stny.rr.com

________________________________________________

It was indeed a real shock to hear of Vikram's passing.  For the last 15 years or so we had grown close due to our common interest. Rajaram, Vikram and I would exchange notes regularly about literature, history, travels, but rarely on politics.  Vikram is a voracious reader, and he was very kind in sharing a brief summary on his most recently read book.  His writing is precise, and captures the most important aspect(s) of the book. I was planning a Himalayan trip two years ago, and since Vikram had done one some 15 years ago (alone), I sought his suggestions. He was extremely helpful and thoughtful.  

To illustrate the interaction, a email conversation of our interaction on history is included below.  The conversation starts with an ancient visitor to India and his travelogue which Vikram had read. You will note an analytical streak in his responses.  I was fortunate to have had several such conversations with him.  

Vikram is a traveler.  He has traveled to all continents except Antartica.  He was really excited about his recent trip to New Zealand, and has planned it for more than a year.  He was equally excited of his trip to the Andes a few years ago.  

We shared the room at the Florida reunion.  A quiet sleeper, and a thoughtful person.  He shared at that time, that during IIT days he was all books, and did not apply himself in other endeavors.  He said he switched after he left IIT, and engaged himself fully in everything in life other than his subject field.  He gave this as his reason why he left his PhD program.  He had no regrets, but was very happy with his life's trajectory.

For the reunion 2013, I was recruited to promote it in the US, and call on our friends.  I recruited Vikram who readily obliged and make his share of calls.  He was a team player, full and full. 

Karpagam and I are very sorry that we have lost a wonderful friend, and distant brother.  May his soul find peace and joy. [written with tears ebbing in my eyes]

Raj and Karpagam Mutharasan
mutharr@drexel.edu

____________________________________________________

Dear Chandra:

Mallika and I were shocked to hear of Vikram's sudden demise, just after the batch reunion in Kerala, which I did not attend.

In early  2007, when my wife and I visited Washington DC, Vikram, yourself and my Metallurgy batch classmate Nagarajan, caught up with us. We all went out to lunch and had a pleasant time. 

It was an honor to have known such a fine gentleman and scholar as Vikram. 

Mallika and I offer our deepest condolences to you, your sons Vinnie & Nithin, Vikram's mother and sister Kiran. May God comfort you all during this terrible ordeal.

Ved Vedamanikam

Austin, TX

pmved@live.com
_________________________________________________

It is hard to write about Vikram, in the past tense, as he always exuded a positive lively persona.

Vikram was one of the members of close-knit Bangalore group in the IIT admission class of '64, known for its serious approach to studies and academic excellence. This was carried through the 5 years and he graduated with flying colours. As classmates in the same ""D" section, during the first 2 years, we interacted, but not a lot. After graduation, he went to SUNY at Stony Brook and I visited him, and J Srinivasan, there in 1970. We lost touch after that and even though he was in Canada for a few years in BNR and I at the sister organization, Northern Telecom, we did not connect. 

Our regular contacts began, thanks to the formation of IITMAA1969 egroup (later Yahoogroup), and the association is full of happy memories. Vikram was one of the early adopters of the group and instrumental in reaching  out to other classmates to rejoin the group. From our first meeting in Philadelphia (at Muthu's place) in 2001 to the reunion in Orlando in 2002, our interactions increased, thanks to the regular reunions and an active yahoogroup and we found a lot of common interests, such as books and travel. I envied him for some of the places he had been to and hoped I would go there some day myself. I also had the pleasure of his visit once to my house in Mississauga, Canada. 

In all his personal and group interactions, Vikram always seemed to gravitate to areas of convergence, rather than divergence. Every thing he said was accompanied by a smile, and likely when he was writing to the group also, he had a smile on his face as well. It is this image that will stay with me, and I am sure many of our classmates, when we think of Vikram. His sudden passing is a shock, coming so soon after the recent reunion, which he attended with his mother and sister. The loss that his immediate family would be experiencing, is far greater and not measurable. My sincere condolences to his wife Chandra, his sons, his mother and his sister and I hope that the warm memories of his life will sustain them in their sorrow.

Kalyan 

Canada

ksundaram_2000@yahoo.com

CONDOLENCE MESSAGES

Batch Mates Grieve for Dear Friend Vikram Prabhu

Mithu and I were away in Melbourne to attend a wedding and returned on 31st Dec 2013. I booted my Apple in the afternoon to read this absolutely shocking news about Vikram breathing his last in his sleep on 29th Dec. 

I can understand some one like me with a damaged brain and body having survived a brain stem stroke kicking the bucket. Vickram on the other hand looked a picture of health, was so handsome even at this age and his mannerism had not changed in 50 years. He was always a gentleman with a dimpled smile as seen in BWR Reunion Photos, that we will never be able to forget.

Mithu and I had a few special moments with Vikram, his mother and sister Kiran while on the boat cruise on the second day of the reunion. All three looked so elegant and peaceful on that day and I cannot believe this has been shattered overnight. 

"Vikram, Mate you will not be able to keep your promise to visit us in Sydney." What a shame.

Mithu and I wish to express our heart felt condolences to wife Chandra, Sons Vinnie & Nithin, Mother and Sister Kiran and all family members. God be with you all as you grieve Vikram's loss.

"We come to this world with our hands empty
And leave this world with our hands empty too
But leave behind sweet memories embedded in the minds of people we have touched when alive."

Vikram was a good man and died young and peacefully and we will all cherish his memories for ever

May his soul rest in peace.

Ram & Mithu Krishnaswamy

Sydney, Australia
ramrajah@optusnet.com.au

It is really shocking, to say the least, that Vikram has been snatched from us all so suddenly. It was only the other day that he was with us merrily taking part in the Reunion activities. 

Though Vikram was not my direct batch course mate, his high academic ranking was known to us in the 1st year itself. What was special about him was his ever pleasantness and smiling disposition at all times. His cool and calm demeanour at all times was his defining characteristic.They all added to him being a real lovable and winning personality. He was one of the Reunion regulars over the years and everybody enjoyed his company.

Though I came to know him more after leaving IITM and during the previous Reunions, we became very close during our recent visit to USA when he and Chandra hosted Purnima and me for a lovely 5 days which will remain long in our memory. It is really sad to lose such a lovely friend.

Sashi & Purnima Rao

Chennai, India.
ksashirao47@gmail.com

I remember Vikram Prabhu as a highly intelligent classmate of mine at IITM . 

After the meeting at Washington DC about which he had written in his reminiscence (I am proud that this was on top of his mind of all the incidents), I realised what a wonderful and loving person he is. My further interactions with Vikram at Muthu's place in Philadelphia confirmed his simple and humble personality and I was grateful that I have a friend in him. I have spoken to him whenever I visited the US and it was always the same warm response.

At the Ripples reunion we spent some peaceful moments together on the lower deck during the houseboat ride and he seemed so relaxed and peaceful.

His end though peaceful has come as a shock to me and I sincerely hope that his family will recover soon from the loss.

I have lost one more dear friend. I feel sad but I suppose that is life. May his soul rest in peace.

Ramanujam

Chennai

tsramanujam@hotmail.com

Vikram was a rather studious and reserved type in IIT. We were together in Batch "D" in the first two years. After he went to the US, we almost lost contact for a number of years, till the contact was rekindled after formation of Club '69 and our reunions. He was a regular member of the club reunions. It was a surprise to me that he did not complete his Ph.D. He went over to work for a non-profit organisation, looking more for public welfare than for commercial deals. There are some friends of our batch in this category, who deserve special praise.

There were few people who visited Delhi during these years. Vikram was one, and he visited us once. He had written to me if he could meet the class mates in Delhi. We had a small get together that day. I remember I had driven him around. I think he was here after completion of one of his trekking trips.

It was very pertinent that he brought his mother and sister for this year's reunion. It appears now, after he is gone, that is was a parting gift for the dearly beloved, with whom he could not spend too much of time. My wife and I were almost the last couple to part from the reunion, and we had our last "tiffin" at Kochi at adjacent tables and generally conversing. We never expected that there would be such a sudden departure.

May his soul rest in peace and may God give his family the strength to bear with this sudden loss

M. Hariharan

Delhi

mhcivil69@yahoo.com

The passing away of Vikram just a few days after I had met him at the Reunion, came a mind-numbing blow. It has taken me time to accept the news and to recognize the permanence of this tragic event. The abiding image that I carry of Vikram is from the Reunion where he looked happy,  relaxed and completely at ease.

We can not even begin to understand the grief of his family, at this very difficult time. My thoughts go out to them.

I will always remember Vikram for what he was – decent to the core and a wonderful friend to have.

Purinder Ganju

Delhi

purinder.ganju@gmail.com

I am sorry I have to pass on this sad news. I just received news that Vikram Prabhu died of a massive heart attack today. It was just a few days ago that we were with him at our reunion.

Rudolph Lobo

Really shocking. Please convey our condolences to his family. He was a reunion regular.

Peter Masilamani

I am deeply saddened by this shocking news. 

May his soul attain Moksha.

V.Ranganathan

I am shocked; it is very sad.  Please convey my condolences to the family. May his soul rest in peace.-

D.John

Shocked to hear that. Please convey our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.- 

V.Gopalakrishnan

Unbelievable. Such a nice person.  Difficult to believe that Vikram Prabhu is no more. His always smiling face shall be remembered by us for sure.My sincere condolences to his family.

Mangesh

I am shocked to hear this news. Nothing more I am at a loss for words. May his soul rest in peace. Life is so fickle.

V.Anantaraman

I am shocked and don’t know what to say other than `may his soul rest in peace`. Please convey Nimmi`s and my condolences to his family. Even though I didn`t attend the BWR reunion I have seen all the photos and Vikram looked just fine. The last time I saw him was at the Coorg reunion. Have visited him in Washington and had dinner with him, often talked a lot about his trip to S.America etc.

LV Ramanathan

Vicky was a very close personal friend of mine.  We never missed an opportunity to get together whenever he is in India.  A very kind, loving and sincere friend who would go out of his way to help. I will really miss him and it seems so sudden & so soon after our last KK-RU'13 - when he seem quite hale and healthy and enjoyed all the fun with all of us. Am also very sorry for his wife Chandra and sons who were not able to be with him in his last moments.  My heart also goes out to his mother and sister - who would also find it difficult to bear this loss so soon after the nice re-union with all of us.

N.Viswanathan

We have lost a nice, soft, well meaning and informed batch mate. Even in his passing away has been in a sense is so characteristic. May his soul rest in peace. 

Vijay Govindarajan

Really shocking. He did not look ill at all and was taking part in all the activities.

V.Gopinath

Very sorry to hear the sad news. May his soul rest in peace.

S.Krishnan

Really shocking. It is very sad that a healthy person can collapse like this. Heartfelt condolences to his family members.

S.Swaminathan

It is indeed very sad news. I had visited his family in Virginia and his relatives in Bangalore. My condolences to his wife, Chandra and his sons.May God bless his soul.

Divakar Shenoy

Extremely sorry to hear the sad demise of Vikram Prabhu, please convey our heartfelt condolences to Vikram's family 

P.D.Gopal and Rama

I am hoping it is not true!

M.Raghunandan

This is absolutely unbelievable. It seems like only yesterday I was talking with him about his family and work. My sincere condolences to his family.

Pradeep Gupta

Shocked and sorry to hear the news. He seemed fine at the reunion.

Ramappa

I am shocked .Just the day after Christmas visited Vikram in his BLR home. Handed me his copy of "An Uncertain Glory: India and its contradictions (Amartya Sen, Jean Dreze)" . (. he would take it back when we meet in Dallas.) ..Took pictures of us with his mom and sister Kiran. Our condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace.

SethuNarayanan

Am deeply saddened by the news and can well understand the shock expressed by friends at the reunion. The last I met Vikram was at DC couple of years ago. Kindly convey our condolences to his family.

S.Narayan

It is with great grief that I am trying to digest the news of passing away of a dear friend and great person, Vikram, who was suddenly taken away from us. He will be missed. I will cherish the fond memories of our friendship. May his soul rest in peace. My prayers are with his family during this time of grief and sorrow. I also pray that the family is given the courage to deal with great loss. Vikram was a truly remarkable person and i am certainly proud to have had the privilege and honor to be associated with him during the past 50 years.

Joshy Paul

It is a shock to learn about the passing away of Vikram Prabhu. UNBELIEVABLE. He was a great guy and we will all miss him. Hope his grief stricken family is able to cope up with this loss.It was the other day we could meet his sister and his mother in the reunion. Vikram has been a regular to our reunion and we will miss him .Pray his soul rest in peace.

A.Subramanian

We are shocked would be an understatement. God doesn't care anymore 

V.Srinivasan

This was a low New Year for our batch!  I shall call on (her /the family) after I return to India next week.

C.S.Krishnan

I had hopes of meeting Vikram and my hopes have evaporated 

G.D.Raghuraman

One day I dropped in on Vikram at his hostel room. He was busy solving Parker Smith and I made fun of this. He turned to me in his gentle way and said I could never solve the problems in that book.

I said if an electrical guy can do it, a Chemical would do much better and took a bet that I would solve all the problems in about 3 months. (I did not know how foolish I was). I could not do it in 3 months, but I solved most of the problems in about a year with a lot of appreciation from Vikram.

I dearly miss him.

CSK

I am shocked to hear about Vikram Prabhu. I caught up with him at the 2011 reunion in Madikere/Corg after a gap of 44 years . He appeared perfectly fit and active. We went to St Joseph's college Bangalore and were in the same class (PMC) in the first year as both of us were underage for IIT.  I remember that we both enjoyed the Physics lectures and thought that we will become great physicists!  That year he was my closest friend . Next I met him at the IIT in 1966 and we drifted apart.  I probably felt closer to him than he to me.

My hearfelt condolences to his family.

K Mohan

1969/3

ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG

CHERISHING SWEET MEMORIES
of
Vikram Prabhu
10th March 1948 to 30th Dec 2013

 2001 Vikram with Mutharasan, Venky, Kalyan, Divakar and Ramanjuam

 Mistaken Identity :-)
2001 Vikram with Ramanujam in Washington DC

 2001 Vikram

 2002 Orlando Reunion

 2002 Vikram with Desikan

 2002 Vikram with Mutharasan

 2002 Vikram with Desikan, Mimani, Giri and Sankar

 2002 in Chennai with CSK, Hariharan, U.Srinivas and SanthaKumar

2002 Vikram with  N Gopal and Philipsamy

 2004 Vikram with LV and Nagarajan

 2007 - Washington Dc Meet with Ved and Nagarajan

 2007 Vikram with Vedamanickam and Nagarajan

 2008 Vikram with Jayant Baliga and Rajaram Bhat

Three very Brainy Amigos in IITM 1969 Batch

( Photo Shared by Vickram on 26th August 2010)

2009 - Vikram with beloved wife Chandra
(Photo Taken by Muthu at Nagarajan's daughters wedding)

2009 Ruby Reunion at Ideal Beach Resorts, Mahabalipuram.

 2009 Reunion at Mahabalipuram

 2009 Vikram sharing his thoughts

 2009 Vikram with Desikan

 2009 Vikram with Vichu and Muthu

 2009 - Taking a break with buddies

2013 - At Nagarajans with Sashidar and Purnima Rao

2013 - At Washington DC with Sashi and Purnima

BACKWATER RIPPLES REUNION 2013

With Muthu, Ashok Rao, Ramu, Lotos &  A Sub