Keshab Deshiraju, grandson of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, dies at Teacher’s Day

New Delhi. Keshab Deshiraju, grandson of former president Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, died on Teachers’ Day on Sunday. He was 66 years old and was the country’s former health secretary. He died at a private hospital in Chennai. According to reports, he was suffering from acute coronary syndrome.

Keshab Desiraju retired from the post of Secretary, Consumer Affairs, Central Government. Apart from this, he has held various posts in the Central and State Governments. He has also worked as a scholar, researcher and advocate for mental health. Even after retirement he has worked on advisory boards with many organizations. In addition, he has worked for human health.

He recently wrote a biography on Karnataka singer MS Subalakshmi. Earlier he wrote ‘Healer or hunter? Sameeran Nandi and Sanjay Nagra co-edited ‘Healthcare Corruption in India’.

MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted condolences over Deshiraju’s death. He said, ‘My dear friend Keshab Deshiraju has died for 57 years, one of the extraordinary bureaucrats. What a sad tragedy the country is celebrating his grandfather’s birthday the day he left us.

Deshiraju was a 1978 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS officer. He holds a master’s degree in economics from Cambridge University and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also recalled Desiraju as a member of the Chief Minister’s Rajasthan Economic Transformation Advisory Council. “He was a dignified, polite and creative thinker and a great man,” Gehlot said.

Policy Commission CEO Amitabh Kant remembered Desiraju as an extraordinary man, a bureaucrat and a progressive intellectual.