Obituary for Prof. Kartic Khilar: A Tribute to his Career and Compassion

Our beloved Prof. Kartic Khilar, who was till very recently with our department, passed away in his Gandhinagar residence on 13 November 2009. The department and the institute deeply mourn this sudden death. A brief profile of Prof Khilar is given below. We invite people who have been associated with him, in any manner, to pay tributes and recall fond memories, by communicating through this page, for others to read and cherish.

PROFILE:

Professor Kartic Chandra Khilar passed away in Gandhinagar during the early morning hours of November 13, 2009, ostensibly due to a massive heart attack resulting in sudden cardiac arrest. He had joined the Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) Gandhinagar, as its Director General from Oct 1, 2009 after taking voluntary retirement from the department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Bombay. He was only 57 years young.

Kartic joined IIT Bombay in 1982 after earning a PhD from the University of Michigan. He had an MS degree from Drexel University and a BTech degree from IIT Kharagpur. He had a distinguished career at IIT Bombay doing world class research, most of which can be seen in his publications, relating to flows in porous media, colloids and interfaces and nanotechnology. Even more importantly he inspired a culture of research in a whole army of young faculty members who joined the Institute after him. His entry in the Chemical Engineering department marks the beginning of a new era in which a modern, research-based work culture developed in the department.

He was also a fantastic teacher, much involved in the teaching of core fluid mechanics courses and a whole array of electives on reservoir engineering, interfacial science and transport in porous media. He earned heaps of praise from the students he taught.

Kartic held many important positions in the Institute including the Head of the Chemical Engineering Department and then later, of the Center for Research in Naotechnology and Nanosciences (CRNTS), Professor in Charge of Continuing Education Cell, JEE Chairman, and the Dean (Research & Development).

The details of his contributions, the students he guided, the projects he worked on, the universities where he visited as a faculty, and the academic and professional honors that came his way can be seen using the link given above. He deserved much more but his gentle nature and a strong sense of modesty did not allow him to chase awards and rewards. He had many ideas on research and higher education, and a vision of how to build institutions. Even if you disagreed with some of it, you had to respect that fact that he thought so comprehensively. And then he followed it up with the passion and zeal that such dreams deserve.

Kartic was one of the finest human beings we have had the privilege of having amidst us. He was a friend, collaborator, gentle mentor, all rolled into one, for many of us and we will miss him sorely. Many of the adjectives that have been used to describe him can be seen in the tributes below: unassuming, role model, helpful, friendly ...

His quitting the Institute, when he finally decided to leave for PDPU, was a great loss for the Department but he had promised to have a long association with us, and that he would keep coming back. But that is not to be.

May his soul rest in peace. (Written by Anurag Mehra, on behalf of the Department of Chemical Engineering)

Professor Kartic C. Khilar Distinguished Fellowship

Alumni and friends of Professor Khilar have launched an initiative to institute an annual "Professor Kartic C. Khilar Distinguished Fellowship" in the Chemical Engineering Department, IIT Bombay. This is to be funded by a corpus of about Rs 45,00,000 (about 100,000 USD). This is an invitation to contribute to the endowment for the establishment of this memorial fellowship.

1. The corpus is designed for an annual visit by a distinguished researcher working anywhere in India or abroad, both from academia and industry. Upcoming young researchers could also be invited
2. This would provide an excellent opportunity for the final year UG and the PG students of our department to listen to and interact with a distinguished person.
3. The distinguished visitor will spend about three to five days in the Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Bombay (he/she will be
   provided a fully equipped office during the stay).
4. He/she will deliver one Institute Distinguished lecture and two to three Department lectures especially for research students, and interact with the departmental faculty and students, individually or in groups, during the stay.
5. The dates of the visit will be decided based on mutual convenience of the department and the distinguished visitor.
6. A per-diem of Rs. 10,000 (per working day) subject to a maximum of Rs. 50,000 [+ round-trip air (economy class) travel international or domestic) + free hospitality at IITB] will be provided.
7. Get togethers will be planned with faculty and students over tea and dinner to meet the visitor.
8. The lectures will be widely publicized

How to donate to IIT Bombay

Please see: https://www.iitbombay.org/giving-back/how-to-donate
for more details.

Donors from USA

Please remember to provide written instructions about the specific giving opportunity that you want to support [“Professor Kartic C. Khilar Distinguished Fellowship in the Chemical Engineering Department, IIT Bombay”]. US Residents should send checks written in favor of "IIT Bombay Heritage Fund" to:

IIT Bombay Heritage Fund
21710 Stevens Creek
Boulevard, Suite 115
Cupertino, CA 95014, USA
Tel:+1-408-252-1664
Fax: +1-208-498-5404
office@iitbombay.org

US Residents: Donations made via the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund (IITBHF), which is a 501(c)(3) organization, are generally tax-deductible under US tax law. IITBHF's US Federal Tax ID number is 77-0428724. Please consult with your financial and tax advisors regarding your specific situation.

Donors from India and Other Countries

1. Donating by Cheque

Indian residents and donors in countries other than USA should send a/c payee cheques written in favour of
Registrar, IIT Bombay and send to:

Dean ACR,
IIT Bombay, Powai,
Mumbai 400 076, India

with a note that the donation is for "Professor Kartic C. Khilar Distinguished Fellowship in the Chemical Engineering Department, IIT Bombay".

2. Wire transfer instructions:

Name: IIT Bombay Donation Account
Bank: SBI, Powai, Mumbai
A/c No: 10725730111
Swift Code: SBININBB519
IFSC Code: SBIN0001109

Indian Residents: 100% exemption from Income Tax is generally available under Sec. 80G (2) (a) (iii f) of the Income Tax Act. Please consult with your financial and tax advisors regarding your specific situation.

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