Dr. Chandra Lekha Sriram was a vibrant personality and inspirational trail-blazer in scholarly advocacy for human rights, justice and peace. We first met at an event in Kathmandu on the eve of Nepal’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement. I was in awe of her sheer articulate brilliance, and then we went for momos in town and it turned out she was a wonderful person as well. Subsequently it was my good fortune to work with her on several projects and we would meet up not just in London, but in Nuremberg, Geneva and latterly Nairobi as well.
Chandra was stunning in her iconic black and red. She had a wry sense of humour and was often self-deprecating. She could pack people (comfortably!) into her flat for home cooked hotpot with flair, and was a loyal friend. Her work output was prodigious and she held herself to a high standard always in scope and detail, a serious professional with intellectual rigour and a conscientious work ethic in the extreme. She did burn the proverbial ‘midnight oil’; her health did at times suffer, but no one would have imagined her leaving us so soon. We shared transatlantic roots and universalist concerns. I miss her terribly, already.
She leaves behind an impressive and ground-breaking collection of work – let’s use it, and let her values, insights and vision live on. Miss ya Chan.
Judith Large