S. Parasuraman, a visionary, scholar and an institution builder who harnessed education in the social sciences as a tool for social transformation, passed away on Friday at the age of 70.
During his tenure as Director, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) between 2004 and 2018, he scaled up the opportunity for under-resourced regions to build their own human capital in the development sector, through extension of offsite campuses in Guwahati and Hyderabad and partnered with several not-for-profit organisations to build competencies in thematic areas such as mental health, disaster management, public policy, development studies etc.
He foresaw an expansion of Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER) in higher education in India and wanted to locate TISS in that canvas, as an institution committed to social justice. He dreamt big, and in most cases, his calculated risk-taking paid off.
Pedagogical approach
Initiating 50 new programmes in a mere 10-year period, he had a vision to provide a good education using constructivist pedagogical approaches, resulted in his veering TISS towards actively addressing inequities and social injustices, and engaging with the needs of vulnerable groups.
This spurred many high-impact social action programmes around ontological instability and community inclusion. This also resulted in the promotion of inclusive development as a goal in the most disadvantaged districts of the country, particularly through the Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellowship, supported by the Ministry of Rural Development.
Real-world problems
Another first — the trend of integrating practitioner-researchers into mainstream academics — helped students expose and immerse themselves in the messiness of the real world and simultaneously apply critical theory to better understand complex problems, often using transdisciplinary lenses.
Prof. Parasuraman’s focus on rigour in research and advancement of home-grown academics was instrumental in TISS’ engagement in person-centred and rights-based advocacy and policy development.
Authorship of over a 100 papers and multiple books, stints at Oxfam and Action Aid, an exceptional tenure as Director, TISS and Vice Chancellor, MIT-World Peace University, Pune, contributions as a social scientist and demographer par excellence... we will celebrate him for his many accomplishments.
But, it was Parasuraman, the humanitarian that won most hearts. A selfless mentor who was encouraging, optimistic, and dependable in his support; he often inspired hope in the bleakest of moments.
He stood tall in the face of every crisis that came his way, including unprecedented ones such as the tsunami when he led relief efforts from the front and nudged institutions and colleagues to partake in alleviating distress of those who had lost their all, through collectivising multiple stakeholders.
He occasionally narrated quite nonchalantly his everyday 5 km trek to his school and related struggles that he went through to pursue an education. His humility, wisdom and empathy perhaps stemmed from his own life experience and provided inspiration for several first-generation learners who enrolled in TISS and pursued careers in social engagement and innovation.
His passing away will leave a vacuum in academia and the social sector undoubtedly, but his legacy and the values that he stood by will continue to inspire many.
(With Lakshmi Lingam, Asha Banu Soletti, Joske Bunders, Tarique Mohammed, Olive Fernandes and Kishore Kumar. The writer and contributors were colleagues of Professor Parasuraman)
