Former JNU professor Nandu Ram, pioneering sociologist who brought Dalit studies to mainstream, passes away

Indian Express

6 days ago

'A simple man', 'gentle in manner': this is how family, friends and colleagues remember Professor Nandu Ram, a pioneering sociologist who is hailed for helping bring Dalit perspectives to the heart of Indian academia.
In a career spanning more than four decades, Professor Ram is credited with reshaping the field of Indian sociology. He was among the first to rigorously explore the social, political, and economic dynamics of caste in modern India, from lived experience.
He died on July 13 at the age of 78. His son, Siddharth (46), who lived with him in West Delhi's Dwarka, said the death was caused by a heart attack following a long battle with Parkinson's disease. 'He loved to write,' Siddharth said. '… and through his writing, he wanted to uplift people from the Dalit community.'
Despite holding senior academic positions, Professor Ram lived with remarkable modesty. 'He never bought a car. He always walked…,' Siddharth recalled. 'Even if his own pockets were empty, he would help others.'
Born on July 28, 1946, in Marhia village in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, Professor Ram came from a family of labourers. His parents, Janaki Devi and Pattu Ram, ensured he could study even when such aspirations were rare. 'He grew up in a basti outside the main village,' Siddharth said. 'He had seen segregation firsthand.'
Professor Ram excelled early, topping his district in high school and later moving to Varanasi for his higher secondary education. At Queen's College, he was often mocked for being a 'villager,' but he remained undeterred.
He earned his MA from Banaras Hindu University and completed a PhD in Sociology from IIT Kanpur in 1976, where he also taught for several years.
In 1978, he joined the Centre for the Study of Social Systems (CSSS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he would go on to teach, mentor, and lead for more than three decades. He served as the Chairperson of the CSSS from 1999 to 2001, and later as the first Dalit Dean of the School of Social Sciences.
In 1995, he was appointed the founding Ambedkar Chair Professor in Sociology at JNU. He was instrumental in creating the Ambedkar Chair and became the first Ambedkar Chair professor.
Between 2001 and 2004, he also served as Director General of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar National Institute of Social Sciences in Madhya Pradesh.
As a researcher, his work was foundational. His 1988 book — 'The Mobile Scheduled Castes: Rise of a New Middle Class' — gave scholars a new lens to examine social mobility. His five-volume 'Encyclopaedia of Scheduled Castes' (2007–2011) remains a landmark in the field. 'Beyond Ambedkar' (1995) pushed the boundaries of Dalit political thought.
'He taught us sociology that spoke from the bottom,' said Maithrayee Chaudhuri, who was among his first students and later a colleague at JNU. 'Over the decades, he built a generation of scholars who created a distinct body of knowledge on marginalised communities. He was a lone voice back then — and it was not easy.'
Even as his influence grew, he stayed clear of campus politics and public grandstanding. 'He was never into sloganeering,' said Anand Kumar, another long-time colleague. 'He never wore his Ambedkarite identity on his sleeve. He respected people regardless of caste or class, and that's why people respected him.'
In 2017, the Indian Sociological Society honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The JNU Teachers' Association describes him as 'quiet but firm,' 'gentle in manner,' and 'a person who shall be remembered fondly by colleagues, students, and the academic community worldwide.'
His personal life was marked by joy and tragedy. He raised four children and lost his first wife — Siddharth's mother, Rajvanti Devi — suddenly in 1989 to a brain haemorrhage.
'It felt like an entire household crashed,' Siddharth said. 'She was his connection to the village. After her, he was deeply depressed for a long time.'
Despite his declining health in recent years, worsened by the Covid pandemic, Professor Ram remained mentally alert, continuing to mentor and read, according to his family.
'His muscles wasted away…,' Siddharth said. 'Eventually, he caught an infection and had a heart attack.'
One of his most cherished memories of his father takes Siddharth back to the quiet days at JNU in the 1980s. 'I was about 10 or 11. Papa would take me to the SSS-I canteen and buy me a samosa with chutney. I would be adamant about going there every day as a child, and he would take me along,' he said.
'I used to draw cartoons of his colleagues and hand them out.'
It was a simple ritual, samosas, sketches and sociology— but it captured the essence of an academician who lived quietly, taught deeply, and carried his ideals until his last day.
Apart from Siddharth, Professor Ram is survived by three other children.
'Yesterday was Papa's birthday. Had he been alive, he would've turned 79,' Siddharth said.