Page 10 - Vaidy

Vaidi was a quintessential tam-bram who loved his ‘vatral kozhambu’ and ‘thair shaatham’; and also loved a whisky of an evening. He was either an agnostic or maybe an atheist – I never knew. He certainly had no time for ritualistic religion...But he was one of the truest, gentlest, kindest of men...
Shakespeare had the words for him: “... His life was gentle, and the elements mixed so well in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, “This was a man.”...”
Go in peace, dear friend... Roy,T <T.Roy@lse.ac.uk>
Although I was not taught by him Professor Vaidyanathan symbolized CDS for us. I was on email contact with him until recently and he was consistently engaged and interested in my work. A real scholar who has done a great deal to foreground water in history and policy. The future will use his work. My thoughts for his family.
Tirthankar
KP Kannan < kannankp123@gmail.com>
Please convey our deepest condolences to Mrs Vaidyanathan and other members of the family.
KP Kannan and Shobhana Kannan
Professor Vaidyanathan's 10 years in CDS (1975-85) was perhaps the most productive period in his professional career. Since I was closely working under the guidance of Professors Raj and Gulati, I did not have the benefit of his mentorship. I was there till 1983 and returned only in 1986. I was surprised that he was gone. I was in fact expecting him to succeed Prof Panikar. The loss was CDS's.
KPKannan
Keshab Das <keshabdas@gmail.com>
To us young MPhil students (1983-84 batch) Vaidyanathan was awe-inspiring, tough- looking (maybe more so when he chewed his cloves) and smart with an endearing soft core. But then often his two-word question – 'So what?' – would derail us to the fault of anaccidentjustwhenwethoughtwehadalmostmadeitinresearch! And,asRajasekhar remembers, he would ask such a thing in seminars where he would ensure that the last member on the campus (teacher and student) was present. He took long sessions on
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