Memories of Janak Raj- IITD Class of 1969

Janak Raj- RIP

Janak with L-R Kishore Ramchandani & Ashok Ahuja

The Canadian Rockies- Asim &  Janak. Foreground: Sanjukta, Apoorva Chandra & Reena

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Anil Bhalla

Janak was the epitome of rationality and restraint. No one among his peers could respond with such lucidity, to a question with a question.  He was not only a dear friend from the IIT but I recall with fondness the years we were together in the 1980s in Tokyo. His sagacity will be sorely missed.

Ashok Ahuja

Sonja and I were shocked to hear the news on Janak.  We were really pleased to have spent time with both Janak and Reeta over the last few years.  I got some real quality time with Janak during our IITD the mini-reunion in CT a few years back.  At Kishore and Leena's home for the 2018 Diwali get together, Sonja and I had a really enjoyable time spending the evening with Janak and Reeta.  Just ten days back, as we were digesting our own health news, Reeta called and comforted us.  Janak was having a difficult time with his treatment but still took the time to speak to me and gave us hope and the courage to move forward.  I first met Janak in about 1955 and was in class with him beginning in 1958.  Ever since I first met Janak, I have always thought of him as a very wise soul.  He is someone we always looked up to.  He was always pensive, thoughtful and inquisitive.  Janak is missed, even as his spirit remains a beacon of strength for all of us.

Vikram Budhraja

Janak was an amazing person. Sensitive, smart, affectionate, thoughtful, curious and above all a wonderful friend and human being. He was the inspiration for the 1966 Middle East and Europe hitchhiking trip that Janak Madhu and I went on. He planned our summer hike to Simla and Kulu Manali with Asim Prem and I. He was the instigator for the 50 years of fr.pt together in Monterey that a few of us participated in five years ago. 

Janak had varied interests -  from tennis to hiking to cars to investments to philanthropy to spiritual development and many things in between. He had a child's vitality and being with him was energizing. He was always cheerful, thoughtful, and a joy to be with. 

Upma and I had dinner with Janak and Reeta last May in NY - Apurva was also there. Janak was his usual exuberant self except weaker and frail. 

Janak was as good as they get. Upma and I were privileged to know him. He will be greatly missed. May his soul’s journey be peaceful. May God give his family strength and peace.

Asim Ghosh

I knew and kept in close touch with pretty well continuously since 1959. We were in the same class in school and were close neighbors in Aravali hostel. After I moved to the US, we were in the same state. There are some in our close group who have known Janak even longer, Gullu, DP, Anil Dang, AA Pathak would have been classmates and batch mates at school and IIT since they were perhaps six years old.

Janak and I jostled in our school for a few years for the top position in the class, this was at an age when quickness of mind overcame application. In later years, Janak with his quickness as well as application won the battle decisively!

Janak was the quintessential chhupa rustam, hugely disciplined at work, at play, and in his private life. He excelled in his studies, captained the college tennis team, got the Director’s Gold Medal upon passing out in 1969, and went on to academic glory at two US universities, the latter being the premier scientific institution in Boston.

Over the years, my wife and I came to know Reeta as well. With our separate international lives, we didn’t meet as often, but we managed to keep in touch in diverse locations, Delhi, Tokyo, indeed a holiday in the Canadian Rockies, and most recently in London. Reeta is the polar counterweight to Janak, bubbly and outgoing to his measured introspective character. 


Janak had taken ill early in this decade and went about his treatment with the same discipline that he applied to all he did. It was my privilege to meet him several times over that period. He had a happy life and is now still in a happy place.

Ashok Sud

Janak and I go back to 9th standard at St. Columba's School, New Delhi. I had just moved in from Bombay, and my first impression of Janak was of a quiet, but confident, boy, who used to play the clarinet in the school band.

As we got to know each other, we found a commonality of interest in the school's Social Service League. I remember vividly going on bicycles with Janak, and another dear school friend, to construction workers' camps in our vicinity, distributing USAID milk and guiding the workers on hygiene. I also got to know that Janak's father and my grandfather were known to each other.

After IIT, our paths crossed briefly when we realized that Janak and my fiance worked together at Citibank. We met in Bombay during those days. Janak was transferred overseas soon after. 

In our school group, we did know that he had cancer for some years. But, he bore it so bravely, and showed nothing outwardly, that nobody ever spoke about it. That's the way his humble self would have wanted it.


Rest in peace, my friend.

Ramesh Shankar

I was neither an HS classmate of Janak nor an intellect as astute as him while at IITD. I admired his tennis skills on the grass court - YES, grass court!!-- at IIT Delhi. Being a jock myself and having immigrated to the US, I took up tennis and played at different competitive levels. My desire was to play tennis with Janak during our Golden Jubilee. Alas, not to be.

During our stay in the US, there were pleasant encounters. I was impressed with his deliberative style, total understanding, and even on our blog, he was the voice of reason, and-- damn it!-- he read and understood every post.

Janak was self-effacing-- so rare in this "MeToo" world we live in. He had the humility to ask what he didn't know and the patience to teach others what he did know without crowing.

We must all be proud that we had Janak in our midst