A historian passes into history

Obituary of Prof Dwijendra Tripathi

Getting up this morning to the news that a cherished teacher passed away was not a happy start. Prof Tripathi wrote the Oxford History of Indian Business, the Oxford History of Contemporary Indian Business and the Concise Oxford History of Indian Business among many others. He wrote one of the earliest articles on Indian Entrepreneurship in the Economic and Political Weekly. He probably held the first ever chair professorship on entrepreneurship in India, the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Chair Professor of Business History and Entrepreneurship at IIM Ahmedabad. He was instrumental in setting up The Journal of Entrepreneurship and the Biennial Conference on Entrepreneurship – both of which can easily be seen as visionary acts.

 

Beyond all his academic accomplishments, Prof Tripathi was a wise human being. I don’t [image error]think there was anyone who disliked him. Anyone who came in contact with him left improved by his wise counsel. I have been one of those lucky ones. I had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with him on many occasions. I particularly enjoyed my conversations with Prof Tripathi when I was writing an article building on his work. They helped me not only develop the article but also become a better human being.

 

History and him remained inseparable. As a historian passes into history, Prof Dwijendra Tripathi will be remembered fondly for a long time to come.