Rahul Nanda, President (UK and Europe), NIIT Technologies passed away yesterday while on a trip to India. He was 43.
A dear friend & mentor, an outstanding salesperson and wonderful manager, He lived his life truly to the hilt. All who knew him will sorely miss him!
I for one will definitely miss those evenings we spent together, listening to old ghazals & classic rock (usually interspersed with new bollywood music, or what he called “Hindi Trash”), while he joked about life, the universe & everything.
Rest in Peace Rahul Nanda!
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P.S. – You can read his short bio here
Links
Google Reader-
Discussion
March 28, 2006 at 9:34 am
Mohit – This is Anand Nanda, Rahul’s younger brother. Just saw your tribute for Rahul on the internet. Wanted to say Thanks for your thoughts. I can be reached on anandnanda@hotmail.com
April 27, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Ihad come to shock when i came to know Rahul is no more i worked very closley with him at the making of serial IT Digest. He supported me a lot, he was a dear friend, like a brother. IT industry has lost the young captain who had dreamt of India to become a super power. I like send my condolences to his family,friend,NIIT ,
Ateeq Siddiqui
May 5, 2006 at 2:00 pm
Hello to all friends of Rahul
I am still shocked as you all are. Miss him every minute, he was my best friend and like an elder brother.
June 30, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Dear Rahul,
We miss u very much, not having u around here is just unbelievable. We are still living with the thought, that u can arrive every moment and have your dinner in our restaurant.
Jasbir, Indra, Kamal, Amar & staff
Indian Restaurant Balraj Amsterdam
July 12, 2006 at 5:31 am
I’am really shocked to hear about my old KVIIT school friend Rahul is no more. I was his class mate and this moment I cannot reconcile with the fact that Rahul has passed away.
My condolence to family. May his soul rest in peace.
Somendu Pal
Detroit Michigan
September 4, 2006 at 8:31 am
Rahul bhaiya was and will always remain my role model as i always wanted to be like him in all walks of life, i still havn’t actually realised that bhaiya is no longer there, it feels as if he is still on tour and will come back in some time and say aur varun kaisa hai.
May his soul rest in peace.
Varun.
September 4, 2006 at 8:54 am
Hi Varun,
I guess it’s true for everyone he came in contact with. We all miss him every day. He was a terrific role model, as well as a friend and a mentor to each & every one of us!
October 26, 2006 at 6:34 pm
Hi,
I am his namesake and had the privilege of meeting him in 1997 when he was Country Head Lotus Corporation. I remember him as a jovial and full of life person. I followed his career and looked upto him as a benchmark for me to achieve.
I was shocked to hear about his demise. Please accept my condolences.
Rahul Nanda
rahul@rahulnanda.com
November 4, 2006 at 11:52 am
I was shocked to hear about Rahul from his namesake who I called day before and wondered if I’d be speaking to the guy I first met in 1996. Though we did not meet too often but whenever it happened, I was very happy to see him. My deepest sympathies to his family and many friends.
Harish Jagtiani
November 4, 2006 at 12:57 pm
Rahul & Harish: His joie-de-vivre was unmatched. His love of life still inspires us all.
March 16, 2007 at 10:33 am
Still can’t believe it, even after one year. Guess we will have to come to terms with it
March 16, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Yes eni, guess we’ll just have to.
Rahul: wherever you are, know this…there are people who still miss you, love you, and remember you!
March 23, 2007 at 9:57 am
In Memoriam
Rahul Nanda
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost
Rahul Nanda, treasured son, beloved father, much-loved husband, dearly cherished brother, darling brother-in-law and superb visionary & corporate leader has passed away leaving a great void in our lives.
We are only left with questions and an inability to understand why. We mourn for you and our hearts overflow with grief. Maybe there is a higher purpose, but, there is no comfort in that for us. Your passing has taken our breath away, an overpowering sense of disbelief and grief stirs our spirit. WE MISS YOU!
We will miss you for your handsome smiling face remains embedded in our memory.
We will miss you for all your affection and caring; you showed us how to care without thought to self.
We will miss you for the many lives you touched could not be what they are today without your help. You truly made a difference.
We will miss you for all the intellectual sparring and discussions about ideas that you were brave enough to develop and bring forth.
We will miss you for your leadership that cannot be replaced.
We will miss you because you are irreplaceable. Our lives will never be the same with you.
We know that nature has taken you because you have many more lives to touch and things to do somewhere beyond our understanding or capability to fathom. As we bid adieu, we know that you have taken the road less traveled by… because you always wanted to make a difference.
But, nevertheless, we miss you dearly… You will remain in our memory forever.
Love
Deepak Khazanchi
Brother-in-law, friend and sounding board
March 26, 2007 at 8:52 am
Words are not sufficient to describe the deep sense of loss felt by me.It seems like yesterday when we used to eagerly gather around him to listen to his anecdotes, stories, philosophies and advice…
He was a great boss,great leader, mentor, father figure,friend, philosopher and guide,one who had immense capability to give.
Like every other life he touched, he made a huge impact on mine, he will live in my heart and memories forever.
March 26, 2007 at 10:20 am
Deepak & Puja:
Thanks for revisiting this post, and leaving your comments. Rahul was special to all of us, as the various comments on this post (& other emails that i’ve received) testify to.
No conversation between people who knew him is complete without a reference to him.
I remember fondly, spending a night at his place in London, with a friend of mine (who met Rahul for the first & last time that night). When I told him of Rahul’s sad demise, I was met with a shocked silence.
It is still unbelievable that someone so full of life, is not around any more!
April 7, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Hi,
I’m really shocked to hear about Rahuls death. I was with him at school in Kanpur KV IIT and remember him fondly. Please accept my heart felt condolences.
June 23, 2007 at 6:40 am
Rahul Nanda my dear friend Anand’s brother was a ‘Type’ of man hard to find these days. I spent an evening with him at London when we went and had beer in one of those neighborhood pub. As for all he sure was someone you could look up to and make him your role model and think ‘how does his mind work’. Met him again in one of his visits to New Delhi, in fact a few hours before he left us.
More than a year has passed I am sure the void is inimitable for the family.
I sure miss talking to him for he was a legend.
October 6, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Found this page today, and felt I must add to Rahul’s legacy.
Rahul worked for me for a couple of years before I left NIIT, and was the one person I enjoyed working with the most.
He had incredible energy, and made everyone who came in contact with him come alive, whether an office colleague, a customer staff, or even a random waiter in a restuarant, who he decided to have a conversation with…just like that! Full of life, he sought spontaneously to get the most out of people he came in contact with, and somehow generated an positive energy in everyone around him.
The news of his sudden demise came as a shock to me.
Anyone who knew him would know that Rahul could never have quietly slid away into the sunset like an old soldier. He had to go out in the blazing heat of the battle of life, having savoured everything little thing it had to offer.
A life well lived though cut short, is worth more than a long life that is hardly experienced, and will be remebered by all of us.
October 16, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Hi Pat:
“A life well lived though cut short, is worth more than a long life that is hardly experienced, and will be remebered by all of us.”
So True. Thanks
January 3, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Hi,
Its very shocking & sad to learn that Rahul is no more with us.
I met this great person first time in Holland in 1999 and first impression was if you have boss like him, you can take any risk and go as far as you can go….
was worked under him in his first & second innings of NIIT days. Eventhough i left NIIT in early 2002 but was regulary in tocuh with him.
I always consider him as my mentor and used to get in touch with him (email or personally) when ever i need a advice and was always ready to extend his advice…..
Like every other life he touched, he made a huge impact on mine, he will live in my heart and memories forever
March 16, 2008 at 12:18 pm
my love for you will go nowhere,
will just remain with me.
i ‘ll hold it in my quiet arms
and feel it constantly …
November 19, 2008 at 5:24 pm
We were students together from KG to class 11, after which I went to IIT-K and he continued with school and joined engg after completing class 12. Although I had perhaps no contact with him thereafter ever since 1981, it has come as a great shock to learn of his untimely demise.
I came to know about this from a common friend and searched this page thru google.
I offer my badly belated condolences. May God give strength to his family to live with this loss.
November 21, 2008 at 3:40 am
This is a shocking news! I got to know about him yesterday! I had sent him a message some time back enquiring about a common friend. And I was wondering if Rahul would ever reply to me, wondered if he still bore a grudge about all those class room squabbles we had? The message was read by another class mate, Ashutosh and it was then that he informed me about him.
I have had no contact with him since 1980. We studied together at KV IIT from class 7th to 12th. Even though we had a love-hate equation, he was a dear freind, with incredible energy and zest for life.
My much belated condolences to Rahul’s family and friends for their irreparable loss..
December 31, 2008 at 12:02 pm
tien: father Butt, a drunken Brit and a mad Indian. Times gone by but not forgotten.
January 26, 2009 at 4:03 pm
It IS Rahul’s b’day today – the 26th of Jan
I still cant forget his annual quip to my question to him “what are you doing on your birthday?”
it was “…oh .just having a small parade ….”
we miss you Rahul
regards
Anil
March 21, 2009 at 1:23 am
Mohit..just wanted to visit the site and keep this going..its been 3 years and I still miss the dude!!
March 21, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Prabal-da,
I miss the dude every day. He was the quintessential, the original, the one-of-a-kind. I do feel the richer for having had him in my life, even if it was for a short while.