8 MARCH 2013 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG (Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome) through farmer participatory research, development of aquaculture strategies to reduce the risk of small farmers involved in freshwater prawn farming through diversification in Bangladesh, participatory monitoring and evaluation techniques suitable for aquaculture, development of approaches for addressing gender issues and mainstreaming of gender in fisheries and aquaculture, and significant contributions for the development of human resource and institutions in India and developing south Asian countries. He was an extraordinary person who could think beyond, dream big and motivate people. He was full of energy and ideas and a great driving force and go-getter. Nothing was impossible for him. He had many critics who could not appreciate his style of thinking and working, but that did not deter him from moving forward. Nobody could ignore his commitment and sincerity. Every inch he thought, dreamt, lived fisheries. Until the last breath he had only fisheries on his mind. The numerous seminars, symposia, workshops, and publications of the AFSIB stand testimony to his hard work and commitment. The recently concluded global symposium in Mangalore, during the Silver Jubilee celebrations of AFSIB, was his brainchild. At 11 pm on the night before he fell ill, he called me to discuss arrangements. Even from the ICU in Apollo Hospital, Chennai, he was monitoring, motivating and tying up loose ends for the successful conduct of the symposium. His vision of getting Indian fisheries and aquaculture the rightful position in the national fabric remains unfulfilled and it is for all of us to continue to strive for this ultimate objective. He was a human dynamo, burning himself for the cause of grassroots-level fisheries development. There could be many researchers and development workers, but there will not be another Nandeesha. He was unique. Dr. Nandeesha is survived by his wife Dr. Rajeswari Dayal who was his back office, shouldering all his professional office work, documentation and management, and a son Aditya, who is just ten years old. The fisheries and aquaculture sector lost an extraordinary person. He taught us that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. He showed us that what is important is not how long we live, but how we live. His life has been an inspiration to all those who believed that tomorrow will be brighter and warmer. He made us dream big, think beyond. His life and thoughts will continue to inspire all of us. I recall what George Patton Jr. said: “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” Prof. Dr. Mohan Joseph Modayil Kochi, Kerala, India Nandeesha is like a younger brother to me. He worked in India at the beginning of his illustrious career in aquaculture and excelled in aquaculture extension work. Much of his international contributions came later. When I was working for FAO/NACA in Bangkok, Nandeesha was very actively involved in aquaculture development work in Southeast Asia, especially Cambodia. We later came together in Bangladesh, where we saw the depths of agony of poor rural folk with their small ponds struggling to raise fish to meet their widening need for food and nutrition. Nandeesha was one of those actively involved in helping to improve their lot through improved farming methods. Nandeesha played an active role in spreading the cause of rural, small-scale aquafarming, which dominates in much of Asia. The lessons of sustainable development in aquaculture came to prominence much later. Nandeesha did commendable work in this area and endeared one and all in the profession – the small farmers gained considerably in such occasions led by Nandeesha. Returning to India, Nandeesha joined the Tamil Nadu Veterinary Animal Sciences University at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu as its Dean, Fisheries College & Research Institute, an institution which had also played a role in my life, for I was in the same position in its founding stage. Later in our lives we met often outside India at WAS and lately Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) meetings. His role as a Director on the WAS Board and also AwF gave him also good opportunities to spread his message of rural aquaculture development to help the poor and lowly. I find it difficult to envisage an aquaculture meeting of experts and friends without the familiar cheerful and warm participation of Nandeesha. He always looked beaming with a broad smile and cheer in his face in the midst of old and new friends, talking very meaningfully about the global aquaculture scenario and his seemingly humble role in it. We would all surely miss Nandeesha ever and everywhere. M. N. Kutty “Prasadam”, Puthur Palakkad, Kerala, India Strange are the ways of life. It becomes so strange and arbitrary that I cannot find any reason why Dr. Nandeesha is not with us today. It was just a few days before he was admitted to hospital that he talked to me over phone, in his typical ‘persistent’ way, about the success of the recent conference he organized in Mangalore. It is difficult to find a person like Nandeesha who was such a committed advocate for aquaculture. While he was still experimenting with how aquaculture could benefit eradication of hunger, poverty and gender inequalities, his dynamism drew no boundaries, expanding all over the Indian subcontinent and beyond. As an able leader, Nandeesha believed in fruitful collaborations that could make a difference in achieving targeted goals. His vision as an academic head was to boost the potential of every student in his institution nurtured in a supportive academic environment. It was a rare honor for him to lead one of the first Fisheries Colleges in India as Dean, and the progress the College made under his leadership was phenomenal. He will ever be remembered for the pace with which he boosted the prestige of the College to a University within less than two years of his term, albeit the new Fisheries University was not fortunate enough to bloom under his patronage. In the 1980s my friendship with Nandeesha grew more intimate. When I started working on giant freshwater prawn at Kochi, he expressed his desire to associate with us for possible collaboration between the Kochi and Mangalore
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