A Great Human being: Shri

            I am happy to learn that Samaja Karyada Hejjegalu is bringing out a special issue on late Dr.K.V.Sridharan, known to his friends as Shri.

            I met him in Bangalore around 1975 when I was on a rescue mission to the National Institute of Social Sciences which was in serious doldrums. There was a conflict between the management and the director, Dr.Sridharan. He gave up a prestigious and lucrative job in New Delhi and took over the post of director of the NISW, a relatively unknown outfit. He was the director of the Viswayuvak Kendra earlier. Dr.Sridharan was removed from his post of director, NISS unceremoniously. He appealed to the Association of Schools of Social Work in India (ASSWI) for intervention on his behalf. Social work educators and practitioners felt outraged at the ill treatment meted out to Dr.Sridharan. A fact finding committee was constituted by the ASSWI (K.N.George, Madras School of Social work was the president) with Fr.Sales of the Rajagiri college and myself to inquire into the complaint against the NISS and to recommend remedial measures. We made out a strongly worded report and the rest is history. Subsequent events following our report did not set right the wrongs suffered by Dr.Sridharan. He was not absorbed into the faculty of the department of social work, Bangalore University. Of course the loser is the University for not having him on the faculty along with other staff members of the NISS. From then on Shri was a freelance educator and trainer along with his wife, Dr.Uma whom he married later on in life.

            When I took over as the president of the ASSWI, a need for a permanent secretariat was keenly felt. A post of executive secretary was created and Dr.Sridharan was the natural choice for this post. He started functioning from Bangalore .The Social Work Educator, a newsletter of the ASSWI, was started with him as the editor. The momentum gained in the late 1970's and the early 1980's could not be sustained and Sri had to leave the services of the ASSWI .It was a most unhappy situation-a leading Social work educator without being in a proper assignment!

            Whenever I was in Bangalore, I made a point to meet him and spend some time with him and his wife. In spite of his traumatic experiences and difficult times, he never lost his charm, humility, poise and humor! He was known for his anecdotes.

            Shri was a great human being and my sincere salutations to him.

                                        

Prof . K.V. Ramana

Former president, ASWI

Former vice chancellor Andhra University

Visakhapatnam, April 4, 2012