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By Arun Pratap SinghGarhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 10 Feb: The SK Das Memorial Lecture organised by The Doon Library and Research Centre on Sunday, 8 February, once again brought together scholars, writers, journalists and citizens to remember a man whose life seamlessly blended public service with a deep commitment to ideas and culture. Instituted after his passing in September 2023, the annual lecture has become a thoughtful and dignified tribute to Surjit Kishore Das, popularly and officially known as SK Das. This year’s memorial lecture was delivered by distinguished senior journalist P Sainath, who spoke on ‘India in an Age of Inequality’, a theme that resonated deeply with the values SK Das stood for.
In his address, Sainath dwelt on the sharp and widening inequalities in contemporary India, observing that present levels of economic disparity have reached, and possibly surpassed, those witnessed during the late colonial period. He urged the journalists, the writers and the filmmakers to focus on issues affecting the majority of Indians, agrarian distress, shrinking livelihoods and social injustice, rather than being consumed by spectacle and elite concerns. The lecture, reflective and hard-hitting, underlined the continuing relevance of engaged public discourse, something SK Das consistently encouraged during his lifetime.
It may be very relevant to remind here that as Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand in 2006, SK Das had played a pivotal role in the establishment of The Doon Library and Research Centre, envisioning it as a democratic, non-partisan space for readers, researchers and concerned citizens. Inaugurated by then Chief Minister, ND Tiwari, the Library emerged as a vital cultural institution in Dehradun. Even after retirement, SK Das remained closely associated with it, serving as Chairman of its Board of Governors until his death and attending its programmes with unfailing regularity and often moderating discussion sessions here. Since his passing, the Library has organised the memorial lecture each year to honour his contribution.
Born in Odisha but a Doonite by choice and conviction, SK Das had an illustrious administrative career. In undivided Uttar Pradesh, he served as District Magistrate of Dehradun and Almora and later as Commissioner of the Garhwal region. After the formation of Uttarakhand, he was among the select officers who helped shape the new state’s administrative foundations and later served as Chairman of the Uttarakhand State Public Service Commission.
A postgraduate in English literature, SK Das was a committed reader, writer and institution-builder. A left-leaning liberal in the truest sense, he believed in dialogue, dissent and public reason, and was loved alike by the people, administrators and the literature-loving community.
His wife, Vibha Puri Das, herself a widely respected bureaucrat from the Uttarakhand cadre, continues to remain socially active and engaged, carrying forward a shared legacy of public service and civic engagement.
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