Obituary: Ramkumar Kalyansundaram (4 August 1978 to 1 June 2021)
1 June 2021: The WTI family woke this morning to the shocking and distressing news of the passing of our colleague Dr. Ramkumar due to Covid-19.
While his colleagues are yet to come to terms with this sudden loss, WTI stands in grief and support with his young family who were waiting for his hospital discharge permissions as he was on the road to recovery. He leaves behind his wife and two very young children.
Ramkumar passed away on the day of his 13th year of service to WTI. A Wildlife Biologist with a Doctorate on Human-Elephant Conflict, Ramkumar was working for the research and conservation on diverse wild species, especially Asian elephants, for the past two decades in India. He joined WTI in 2007-08 and added value with his in-depth knowledge on looking at wildlife and connectivity at the landscape level.
He was the backbone in mapping the first edition of Right of Passage the corridor book that has become the go-to reference for elephant conservation in India. He has authored several research reports, papers and popular articles, and is co-editor of ‘Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors of India (2nd Edition). He was also central in securing the Wayanad corridor over seven years and was also working to secure another corridor in BRT- Sathyamangalam landscape. His work will remain eternal and will not be forgotten.
While his colleagues knew him as a dedicated field professional, he was Ram to the ones who worked closest with him shared facets of his personality that were hidden behind the strict persona. A colleague reminisces that she was initially intimidated by him when she joined the team in 2015 but four years later, when she had a chance to spend a cumulative three months in the field in BRT Sathyamangalam area, Ramkumar shook off his professional cloak to reveal his fun-loving nature, his love for Tamil music and his cooking and dancing skills.
The sudden passing of a person with whom one has worked for more than a decade is not just sad but also a grim reminder of the reality of this pandemic around us. His passing is a great loss to conservation action and his passing is deeply mourned by Wildlife Trust of India and the IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group. Rest in Peace, Ram.