K R Srivats

 1.K R Srivats, who wrote on all matters related to finance, economy and banking in The Hindu Businessline for 28 years passed away in the wee hours of 25thMarch2025. 53 is not an age to go. But the great man went off. He left behind a staggering body of work that could be  instructive to economists, journalists and students.

2.In an age when knowledge is a WhatsApp forward and ethics are for losers, his professionalism, scholarship and value system were a class apart.

3.He possessed a youthfulness that put reporters half his age to shame.

4.He read the Budget documents and Company Balance Sheets with as much enthusiasm as he figured out the nuances of the Brazilian Football team's strategy in the World Cup or the hidden meanings in Donald Trump's executive orders.

5.Nothing was insignificant to him.

6.His brand of  journalism traced its rigour to a more ethical and pristine age in the profession.

7.Monetary gains never tempted him. He lived frugally in a rented flat and travelled by public transport. 

8.There was no egotism in him.

9.He was the exemplary journalist and scholar without ever seeming to be one.

10.Ordinary material aspirations simply escaped him. His ethical framework was strong and incorruptible.

11.The joy he consistently and spontaneousl brought to routine work was infectious.

12.No one could remain immune to his boundless capacity for learning.

13.The depth of his understanding was encyclopaedic.

14.You could turn to him for anything and garner the answer in a few minutes.

15.He wrote in an absolutely lucid language.

16.His griefstricken colleagues bemoan,

"We are proud and privileged to have worked with this brilliant journalist even as we are devastated by his loss."

Source. The Hindu Businessline 26March2025