A Great Loss to Our Democracy

In the passing away of Professor Jagdeep S Chhokar, India lost a true citizen in every way—a railway engineer who went on to become a well-respected academic and later the Dean of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), a civilian deeply disturbed by India's electoral system who co-founded the Association for Democratic Reforms that has had a towering impact on India's elections, a bird-watcher who took quiet satisfaction in it, and a retiree who went to study law so he could talk to lawyers better—a man who built an admirable second-innings life.

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Through all this, as tributes pointed out, he remained grounded, indefatigable, and an affable man. To leave such a sterling and solid legacy behind means his 80 years were worthily and collegially spent.