Jayasankar Krishnamurty, born on January 7, 1941, in New Delhi, to Parvati and S Jayasankar, passed away on December 5, 2025. He was an eminent academic and international civil servant who worked for decades on employment, labour and demography, with a distinguished academic career, completing his BA (Hons) in Economics from St Stephen’s College, his MA from the Delhi School of Economics, and his PhD from the University of Delhi. A defining milestone was his selection as Agatha Harrison Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, which left a deep imprint on his intellectual journey. These academic embellishments are daunting. But for me, he was my closest friend. My friendship with him is a journey I must recount.

I came to Delhi in 1957 to pursue the same course he did at St Stephen’s College. I was ill at ease and often jeered as the “Patna Boy” in a Delhi dominated by values somewhat alien to East India. Delhi was not the metro it is today. It still bore the aftermath of Partition and was trying to recoup, even as Delhi University and colleges like St Stephen’s and Hindu College had established roots. By then, St Stephen’s was regarded as the IAS factory of India. The civil services had become the aspiration of many in our generation. Jayasankar, Kitchu to me, however, had a different calling. Given his own preference, he nudged me in the direction of academia. When I followed his example, he dubbed me “professor”, his voice carrying a degree of finality, even while recognising that my growing public speaking skills........

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