Atish lived in The Dell. Indeed The Dell was the abode of a family of geniuses. A British-era dwelling in Mt Abu, close to the Post Office and the Government Museum, it was the property of the Survey of India. Each morning, several day -scholars, mainly children of employees of the National Police Academy and the Survey of India would meet near a well opposite the post office and be transported to school. It was here where I first met Atish. A twinkle in the eye and a broad smile greeted you every morning.

Atish joined St Mary's in 1966, and was destined to finish with the batch of 1971. Being the youngest he would suffer the occasional jibe and be the target of playful teasing. Atish being who he was, never held a grudge and always took these pranks in good humour. He always exuded peace and calm. A trait to serve him in good stead later on in life.

From day one, Atish set the trend of academic excellence. One wonders how so much could fit into a cranium so small. He was more often than not first in class, only being challenged by two other stalwarts - Atul Kanagat, and Shanker Trivedi. This continued till 1971, when it was deemed he was to young to sit for his school final exams. We the batch of 1972 were fortunate to have him in our cohort. Off course he trailed blazed academically - achieving 5 points in the Senior Cambridge exams, a rare feat in the annals of St Marys history.

Atish participated in all extracurricular activities of school life. Being slightly built he was at a disadvantage on the sports field, however, he willingly and enthusiastically took part in all games, football, hockey, cricket and athletics. He would be seen cheering his school teams be it at the Polo Ground, the Police Academy field or the school "A" field. Perhaps this is what made him a man for others.

Following school, Atish pursued a qualification at IIT Kanpur graduating with a BTech in Electrical Engineering (1973-77) followed by a degree in System and Production Management at IIM (Kolkata) (1978-1980). Immigrating to the USA - Atish served as the Senior Information Manager at the World Bank - a long and illustrious career. He specialised in Information management, Knowledge Management and Internal Communication. His workmates have described his traits glowingly, including approachable, a listener, having an open mind - not stuck in one way of thinking, problem solver, a leader but never dominant, lighting the way for others in case they wish to follow.

Apart from being an ardent Bridge player, and curiously a fan of Kung Fu movies, Atish was also a bit of a musical aficionado. Perhaps this was the influence of school days - the musicals and plays we produced. It could also be that the inter-university festivals held quite regularly at the various IIT campuses played a role. It has come to light that he loved classic rock, with Eric Clapton among his favourites, and his pick of bands being Cream, Pink Floyd, Simon & Garfunkel and Supertramp. The love of music flowed over to celebrations and partying. He would be a regular on the dance floor, gyrating to the rhythms of the music. If not on the floor, he would be using his expertise, helping out with the lighting and the sound systems. He was also fond of Hindi pop music. There is an anecdote that once travelling by taxi in downtown Chicago he befriended a Pakistani driver. On asking the driver if he liked any particular Bollywood singer, the driver replied Kishore Kumar. When it came to Atish's turn to announce his favourite, he replied Mohammed Rafi. A friendship was born. Through music, he was able to bridge communal divides.

The cornerstone of his life was his family. His undying and boundless love for his wife Meena and three children has been reiterated, by them and others, time and time again. He adored his family and doted on his grandchildren. Epithets such as loving, powerful, thoughtful, brilliant, dedicated, supportive, hilarious, and perfect have been used to describe him as a parent. Like most parents, he experienced incredible triumphs and dreadful heartbreak - having lost a son in a road accident. He felt his sadness and pains profoundly, but he never let it embitter him. Nothing in this life could take away that default - radiant smile.

We are all the poorer for his absence, and richer for the time we had with him.

—Stephen de Silva (1972)