Madras School of Social Work
Celebrating 70 years of MSSW
It's the momentous occasion of the Platinum Jubilee (1952-2022) of MSSW, and as a part of the celebrations, we are honouring our dear departed Gurus through this 'Gurus' Gallery'.
This was a long pending dream of our senior alumni - to offer a devout tribute to the past luminaries who lit our path with their insights acted as a sounding board to our frustrations, and sacrificed their time and energy selflessly.
Each Guru's image in this Gallery is etched in our hearts and minds, and their words spoken to us continue to inspire and guide us even though they're no longer with us. Indian tradition places a Guru one step above God. our Gurus of MSSW had 'parented' us with wisdom and professional knowledge and shaped our minds daily. We will remember and honour them with our continued pranams to our gurus in this place of worship.
Name: Mrs. Mary Clubwala Jadhav
Birth: Khareghat in Ootacamund, June 10, 1908
Parents: Mr. Rustom Patel & Mrs. Allamai
Spouse(s):Mr. Nogi Clubwala in the year 1926 After Mr. Nogis’ demise, Major Chandrakanth K Jadhav in the year 1953
Children: A son, Mr. Khushro (Phil) born in the year 1930
Awards: Padmashri, Padmabhusan & Padmavibhusan
Death: February 06, 1975
was born on June 10th 1908 to Rustom Patel and Allamai (Khareghat) in Ootacamund. A very intelligent student, she also took the Trinity College piano exams. She also took an active part in Guiding and the Red Cross. At the age of 18, she married Nogi, the son of businessman-philanthropist Phiroj M. Clubwala of Madras. The couple had a son, Khushro (Phil), in 1930. Unfortunately, Nogi Clubwala died suddenly in 1935due to ill-health. Adversity often brings out the best in many of us. Instead of retiring into a shell, Mary decided to occupy her time meaningfully.
In 1923, the Guild of Service was started by Mrs. Waller with a group of women to do social service. She joined it in 1935 and soon became its livewire. That same year, Mary was appointed Honorary Presidency Magistrate and she held a record for continuous sitting in the Juvenile Court. It was through her persistent efforts that Lady Magistrates were appointed to preside over the Juvenile Courts and, almost entirely, manage them. She also helped found the Juvenile Guidance Bureau.
In 1942, with World War II raging, Mrs. Clubwala founded the Indian Hospitality Committee with helpers drawn mostly from the Guild of Service. A large number of Indian troops were stationed in and around Madras and they had very few amenities. Mrs. Clubwala persuaded women from all communities and walks of life to join in the effort to organise mobile canteens, hospital visits, diversional therapy and entertainment programmes.
The public donated generously to the War Fund started by the Hospitality Committee which continued its efforts after the War by helping ex-servicemen and their families rehabilitate themselves. The victorious 14th Army presented Mary with a Japanese sword in appreciation of her tremendous efforts. Mrs. Clubwala was called “the Darling of the Army” by General Cariappa!
As the War drew to a close, Mrs. Clubwala and Lady Nye, the wife of the Governor, threw open the doors of the Guild to men. After the War, Mary’s focus was once again on the Guild of Service which became a banyan tree which put down roots for various projects like health centres, bakery units, an adoption centre, family assistance schemes, Meals on Wheels, rural development projects, a school for the deaf, to name just a few.
Mrs. Clubwala’s concern for destitute children was responsible for starting the Seva Samajam Boys’ Home and the Seva Samajam Girls’ Home in Adyar in 1950. These Homes gained an international reputation as model institutions. In 1954, she helped get started, through the joint efforts of the Guild and the Madras Rotary Club, the Bala Vihar in Kilpauk, a school for mentally challenged children.
Perhaps Mrs. Clubwala’s most significant contribution was establishing the Madras School of Social Work in 1952. The School is the oldest in the country, after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and offers courses in Community Development, Medical and Psychiatric Social Work, Human Resources Development, International Studies, etc.
In 1953, Mary married Major Chandrakanth K Jadhav, an officer of the Indian Army. He supported her in all her social service activities. These activities gained her international attention. In 1956, she was appointed the first Lady Sheriff of Madras at that time she was involved with over 150 social welfare organisations.
She was the first Indian woman voluntary social worker to be invited to the United States under the Leader Specialists’ Programme. She gave numerous lectures on social service activities in the U.S. In 1957, she was appointed the UN Correspondent in India for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders.
She valued truth and honesty and disliked flattery. She was humorous and entertained with her countless anecdotes. She was a confident extempore speaker. Though she was in close touch with high-ranking politicians and well-known personalities, she was totally apolitical and, for this, she was respected by all. Her favourite dish was the sundal of Annapurna Cafeteria (on Wallajah Road) and the lime rice and rasam of Mysore Café!
The President of India conferred on her the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. Before her death in 1975, she suffered the untimely loss of her son Phil. Today, the Phil and Mary Clubwala Jadhav Trust disburses aid to many worthy causes which were dear to Mary’s heart.
Name : Prof. Dr. Karachepone Ninan George (aka) K. N. G
Birth : Thuruthicad near Thiruvalla in Kerala, June 21, 1924
Parents : Mr. K. N. Ninan & Mrs. Achamma Ninan
Spouse : Mrs. Grace George
Children(s) : A son Mr. Ajith and a daughter Ms. Anitha Koshy
Death : April 12, 2019
Prof. Karachepone Ninan George better known as Prof KN George had his early education at Thuruthicadu, St.John's High School, Eraviperoor, and Madurai Christian College, Madurai, India. Thereafter he obtained his bachelor's degree from the Madras Christian College (University of Madras) in 1950, Master's Degree in Social Work from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda in 1952 and a Master of Science (Social Administration) degree from the Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, USA in 1959.
After completing his higher studies in Ohio, USA, K N George returned to India in 1953 and joined as a Lecturer in Madras School of Social Work (MSSW). He became the Director of MSSW in 1957, a post that he held for five decades. As the Director he mobilised funds from both within and outside India to construct the new office, school and hostel buildings of the MSSW. The term when he was the Director, the MSSW had been recognised as an in-service training centre for various cadres of government officials — probation officers, senior probation officers, after-care officers, district and sessions judges, judicial magistrates and jail officers at the national level, National Service Scheme Program Officers of different States and more.
He has also served on the Board of Management of a number of well-known institutions and held positions in advisory councils and committees at International, National and State levels including. He was also instrumental in founding many associations of professional social workers and social work educators at national and international levels. Some of the committees / councils he was part of includes:
His passion for social welfare administration was evident from his contribution to several social welfare organisations at local, regional, national and international levels. Madras Christian College, Meston College of Education, the Guild of Service, Christian Children’s Fund, Union Christian Association and Madras Christian Council of Social Service are among the many organisations which benefited from his patronage while he served on their respective Boards of Management.
Of the several awards and honours he received, a few are listed here –
Some of his publications include:
This internationally acclaimed academician and social worker, died at the age of 95 on April 12, 2019. As a mark of respect, his body will be kept for public homage at MSSW and he was laid to rest at the Kilpauk Cemetery. He is survived by wife grace George, daughter anitha Koshy and son ajith
Rema Saraswathy, Member Secretary of the Institute of Sustainable Development in said in his memorium "I worked with him in 1990. He has mentored several social workers and academicians from all over the world. Even at 95 he was very active and was the Chairperson for the Institute of Sustainable Development and was associated with many other organizations. He was the force that helped MSSW attain the international acclaim that it now enjoys."
Name : Prof. Dr. P. T. Thomas
Birth : June 05, 1922
Children(s) : A son and 2 daughters
Death : April 22, 2012
PTT is one of our first directors of MSSW. Prof ptt along with MCJ set up the initial processos of our DSSA and it has been seeded and grown and flourished. PTT served in MSSW in —---. After his career in mssw, he established USSW and ISSW. Thus ptt played an important role in establishing pioneering social work schools in india. Apart from these schools, prof ptt served in east africa ethiopia on an invitation by the european government for social work programs and projects. During his last years, he settled in bng indulged in various social work activities. Ptt is survived by 2 daughters and 1 son. Prof ptt is thus part of the genesis team of mssw under the leadership of mcj.
After his stint at MSSW, the family moved to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) where he was invited to be Advisor to the Ministry of Community Development. Spent 3 years there from there it was Udaipur(Raj.). He was invited by a prominent local body to set up a School of Social Work. That's how the Udaipur School of Social Work of which he was the first Principal, came into being . We spent about 8- 9 yrs in Udaipur which at that time was literally a one- horse town-- not the tourist destination it is today. While in Udaipur, he along with my mother spent a year in England -- he went as a Visiting Professor to the University of Manchester-- and a couple of months in the US as visiting professor in the University of Tulsa.
From Udaipur, it was Indore-- where again he set up the Indore School of Social Work and was the first Principal there from 1971 to his retirement in 1983 - 1984. While in Indore, he and my mother spent a year in Singapore where he had gone as visiting Professor to the University of Singapore( not sure if that was the name of the University.). All the institutions that he established (MSSW,USSW and ISSW) are all flourishing institutions now, and have been producing successful professionals every year. Post retirement, he, along with my mother and brother , relocated to Bangalore where he lived till his demise in April 2012.
* Was Dean of the Faculty of Arts- Indore University for a couple of years
Besides being an avid reader and a prolific writer, he was a keen bird watcher- -- had formed an Ornithological Club in Indore where renowned Ornithologist , Dr. Salim Ali was invited to address the gathering.
During his tenure in MSSW, he had gone to England for a year as a British Council Scholar in the University of Manchester.
Whatever I have written is solely from my memory, so the years mentioned might not be very accurate..Pappa had started writing his autobiography wherein details of his early life and career have been mentioned in great detail-- however, he couldn't complete it ' cause, in the latter years of his life, his eyesight was steadily failing , as he was suffering from macular degeneration of the eye.
By his daughter Ms. Sally George.
Name : Prof. Dr. M. T. Paul
Birth : November 16, 1927
Death : September 18, 2010
Mr. Paul started his career at the Madras School of Social work in 1957 as a part time lecturer in Psychology under a Govt of India Programme on “Social and Moral Hygiene “ for a one year training for women staff of Correctional Homes in several States of India. In 1958, he was appointed as a full time lecturer in Psychology under the regular Post Graduate programme in Social Work of MSSW. He served the MSSW continuously till his retirement in 1985, except for a period of four years when he was on Study Leave doing his Ph.D in Management Psychology at the Madras University , selected under the Faculty Improvement programme of the University Grants Commission of the Ministry Of Education, Govt of India.
Besides handling the courses in Psychology and other subjects like Research and Statistics for the First and Second Year Social Work Students ,Mr. Paul was also involved in the Field Work Supervision as well as Research Project guidance of the students. He also participated in all the training programmes organized by the School from time to time for several In-Service Training for staff of various Govt Depts as well as of NGO’s.
He directed a research Project on the Slums of Madras for the Govt of Tamil Nadu and submitted the report which was very well received by the Govt. An important contribution of Dr.Paul ,which is not known to many , was building up the Library of the School with the grant from an International Foundation for which he spent lot of his out-of-work hours , visiting several Libraries in the city to make a list of relevant books for all the specializations in Social Work as well as the basic courses, making the Library a specialized one for Social work as well as Personnel Management studies, sought after by many outside scholars.
Dr. Paul earned the appreciation of the students throughout his career for his depth of knowledge and skill in communicating to the learners the abstract concepts involved in understanding human behavior and the working of the human mind. Also his ability to catch the attention of the students with anecdotes and examples and humorous comments was remembered by his students years after they graduated and started their different careers.
Because of his style of easily relating to-young students and his concern for their inner conflicts and challenges , he was able to help those who approached him for counseling or guidance which he did with utmost sincerity and understanding. It is a tribute to Dr. Paul is remembered with great affection and respect by his students even today.
Name : Mr. Mungara Sadasiva Reddy (aka) M.S.R
Birth : Buchireddy palem of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, November 17, 1938
Parents : Mr. Ramachandra Reddy & Ms. Kanakamma
Spouse(s) : Ms. Vanajakshamma
Children : 2 daughters, Ms. Sudha Reddy and Ms. Radha Reddy
Death : November 13, 2006
Mr. Mungara Sadasiva Reddy popularly called as Mr. Reddy or Mr. MSR was born on 17.11.1938 as the second child to Mr.Ramachandra Reddy and Ms.Kanakamma in the village Buchireddy palem of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. He had five siblings. Basically Mr. MSR hails from an agricultural family. He was the first graduate from his family
After successfully completing his secondary school certificate in DLNR High school in 1953, he joined VR college, Nellore to do his Intermediate in the batch of 1953-55.
As is a tradition for many from the neighbouring state to move to Chennai (Madras those days) he joined Pachiappas College and did BA (honours) in 1955-58. During college days he was concerned about his fitness and used weight lifting as a tool.
Mr. MSR, fascinated by the Madras School of Social work, joined MSSW and did DSSA in the 1958-60 batch. Mr.MSR joined MSSW as a lecturer in 1961. He served in the institution till 1974. During his tenure in MSSW he was approachable by any student either in connection with academic or personal issues. He was more of a father figure than a teacher to many. During his tenure as lecturer he joined Madras Law College to do Bachelor of Law in the evening college.
After quitting his job in MSSW he started practicing law in the criminal side in Nellore. He was very compassionate with many of his clients. He used to appear in courts on behalf of them without charging any fees. He also used to help people by extending monetary assistance.
He was a numismatist and collected a good amount of currency which is still available with his family members. He passed away on 13.11.2006 and survived by his wife Ms. Vanajakshamma and daughters Ms. Sudha Reddy living in Canada and Ms.Radha Reddy in Bangalore.
Name : Prof. Dr. T. Krishnan Nair (aka) T. K. Nair
Birth : Thiruvattar, August 27, 1936
Parents : Mr. Thankappan Pillai & Mrs. Lekshmi Amma
Spouse : Mrs. L. Narayani Kunju in the year 1964
Children(s) : A son and a daughter
Death : November 17, 2016
After his Master’s degree in statistics from Kerala University at Thiruvananthapuram and some work experience, he preferred social work as the future career. He joined the Madras School of Social Work in 1961 for the post graduate programme in Social work. He was also awarded the PhD in Social Work by The Andhra University. His doctoral thesis was adjudged best in Humanities and Social Sciences and awarded a gold medal by the University. Prof Nair joined MSSW in 1967 and after over 27 years of service retired in 1994. He taught Statistics and many other subjects over the years and also led the Institution as one of its most luminescent Principals. He was passionate about guiding students especially postgraduate students on Social Work, Development and HR practices. He also directed many national level seminars and workshops on various topics. He was passionate about working with the Elderly and Children, Reading, Mentoring, AuthoringBooks.
Prof. Nair took great interest in social welfare especially in the area of aged population. He was the Founder Chairman for Centre for the Welfare of the Aged. Founder Director, Institute of Social Work and Research. Professor of Social Work and Human Resources for nearly 30 years. He was also Founder Trustee of the Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation. He had also directed many Research studies on various issues such as - Ageing, Child and Youth Development, Social Welfare Manpower, Social Work Education, Bonded Labour, Slums and Pavement Dwellers, Rural Development etc. Prof Nair participated in international programmes in different countries at the invitation of the US Government, UNESCO, and FAO among other agencies.
He worked with many National and International organizations as a consultant and was also the General Secretary of the Association of Schools of Social Work in India (1977-1981). As General Secretary of the Association of Schools of Social Work in India, he took the initiative in organizing many curriculum development and faculty development programmes focused on poverty eradication and social development. Curriculum development has been Prof. Nair’s passion.
Prof. Nair founded the first community-based programme for and by the elderly with their participation through Elders’ Associations (Centre for the Welfare of the Aged, CEWA) in India. He pioneered community based elder care services and always believed that the best place for the well-being of the elderly is with their family. He was also the founder trustee of Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation in Chennai.
Prof Nair was never all work and no play. He was an avid reader and had a great collection of books. He wrote on several topics and publications, he enjoyed blogging, has been passionate about blogging since 2008 and a Twitter enthusiast. One of his last blogs was on 17th April 2016 on “Election Scene”. He was frank and fearless in expressing what he felt. A person with strong values and simplicity
He loved listening to KJ Yesudas songs. He enjoyed humour which was his hallmark in his interactions with Students. He loved movies of Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and the likes of Thanmathra in Malayalam (on Alzheimer’s Disease), His Highness Abdulla etc. He was a great lover of the game of cricket too.
Prof. Nair was a charismatic person with a natural sense of humor. He brought a lot of fun and story-telling in the way he imparted knowledge. He was a brilliant scholar and well read. His passion was to write books and articles related to elder care and social work. The number of publications to his credit is one of the many ways he chose to share information and knowledge for a larger purpose.
As a teacher, he was always proud of the amazing contributions of his students in enriching human resources. He felt that many of them have indeed changed the landscape of social work practice.
Prof. T. K. Nair passed away on November 17 th 2016. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter. Until his passing in 2016, he actively focused on social welfare and human resource development with a passion that brought about a positive change in the lives of thousands, and inspired many to follow in his footsteps.
Name : Prof. P. G. Ranganathan (aka) P. G. R
Birth : August 02, 1939
Death : April 14, 2008
Prof.P.G.Ranganadhan, fondly called PGR by everyone, was a faculty and alumni of the Madras School of Social Work. As a faculty member, he gained the deep respect of peers and students for being an expert in social group work, a critical component for all social workers. He taught not only textually but also candidly answered practical and complicated questions posed by his students. His classes were very exciting, and students rarely missed attending them!
One of his biggest strengths was he helped many students understand practically how to work successfully in a group environment, manage different personalities and egos, and communicate their ideas eloquently. His classroom examples ranged from political dimensions to family-oriented group work ideas. He made a significant impact by imparting the practical skills to excel in social group work by demonstrating in person and sharing essential knowledge with students.
He held students’ attention with a contagious smile and provided great motivation, especially when they needed it the most. Prof.PGR had many other accolades; he traveled inside and outside India for seminars and foreign exchange programs and was associated with various NGOs for youth, the downtrodden, and the voiceless. He was also a commercial pilot and a certified train-the-trainer, who conducted pre-retirement training programs for company staff on how to handle retired life and thrive during that phase.
Prof.PGR will be remembered for his mesmerizing vocals and mouth organ performances, as well as his interest in dramatics. We honor him with our memories and salute him for the key influence he continues to have over his students and anyone who had the good fortune to interact with him
Name : Mr. P. K. Visvesvaran (aka) P. K. V
Birth : September 27, 1943
Death : September 11, 2017
Professor PKV was an alumnus of the Madras School of Social Work himself. He graduated from the institute, and immediately joined as a professor, became the principal, retired and was still associated with MSSW long after. MSSW was his one and only full-time workplace. He factually breathed and lived at MSSW. So much so, to his family members he is synonymous with this institution.
He belongs to the 1963-65 batch of MSSW. After which he joined the institute and officially worked until 2004. He was associated with many other reputed institutes like Stella Maris, Loyola, DG Vaishnav, ICMRIndian Council of Medical Research, to name a few. He was a regular contributor in the Indian Journal of Social Work, released by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences Some of his independent publications in the Indian Journal of Social Work which could still be available online are as follows:
Professor PKV was associated with many NGOs mostly unofficially and informally-There are too many to name. However, he was consistently associated with Bala Vihar in Kilpauk, where he trained the teachers of special children with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis etc. He used to go there week on week with an abundance of passion – and he literally lived his non-MSSW hours there aside from his own home. He also regularly contributed to the Journal of School Social Work during his retirement and post retirement days.
Professor PKV, as some of his students would say, literally knew each bookshelf and each book in the MSSW library. Many have quoted examples of how he would know exactly where a particular book or research work lay and would pick and give it precisely when it was needed. He also had his own paper cuttings on many topics related to his work at MSSW and many interesting topics in general(he was an avid collector of information – at home he would always be found cutting out important social work articles from newspapers and magazines-much to the chagrin of his family, who would never get an opportunity to read a complete newspaper ) This was long before google was born-so he was literally the equivalent of google for MSSW- it is interesting coincidence that both Google and Professor PKV share birthdays! (September 27th)
PKV was the principal- in- charge and later the principal of MSSW for almost a decade. So he had to move out from his professors room on the top floors to the Principal’s desk on the ground floor. Legend has it that he asked to remove the Air Conditioner from his room. His room was always messy- as was his space at home-Always strewn with books, paper cuttings-This became part of his overall personality. Nevertheless, his room at work and home was always a welcoming space, where he would cheerfully welcome his students and sometimes go out of the way to help them with information or guidance/training or even plain counselling.
To Professor PKV, his students were his world. He was always patient and approachable-and everloving with his students. The students would never believe that Professor PKV was known for his temper at home- since he was an epitome of kindness to his students. Students were his lifeline, his “raison-d-etre”- and that kept him going through all odds. Even if the going was rough or he was sick, he would prepare and wake up the next day with full anticipation of meeting and teaching his students. As life would have it, he was surrounded mostly by his students from MSSW, through his last journey in the hospital and even upon his death. The student community of MSSW remains his first family!
Professor PKV was a wordsmith. He had a keen passion to learn languages- He had learnt French and German in the very early stages of his life and was continuing to learn English all along his life. He was always reading, even on his deathbed, and he passed on the legacy and interest of reading and writing to everyone who knew him well. In the locality where he lived Professor PKV was popularly known as “Radio Mama '' since was always carrying a transistor listening particularly to Voice of America. This channel required some special tuning and he would keenly do it from his terrace- Those were the days long before International news channels came to our fingertips and radio was the only source of information. The habit continued all along his life. He lived a very simple life, hardly concerned about outward expressions of wealth or knowledge-For him- every work was internal.
The family of Professor PK Visvesvaran is indebted to all his students from MSSW- for supporting him/ them during their darkest hours of his passing. The students right from the early batches lined up like Godsent warriors helping the family in every way-and until today continue to remain in touch with the family with so much affection and concern. On behalf of Professor PKV, the family remains in deepest gratitude to the MSSW community.
Dr. Hannah Mabel Sharma, fondly called ‘Queenie’, taught Medical Social Work at the Madras School of Social Work. Even though she was a part-time faculty, her many years of experience as an esteemed member of several organizations like the Public Health Association of India, Guild of Service, etc helped her share valuable and unique insights with her students.
Born in 1912 in Chennai, Dr.Sharma impressed her teachers and professors during her years of study with her sharp intellect and passion for medical science. She served as a professor in Preventive Medicine at the prestigious CMC Vellore from 1938-39 and then took charge of the Maternal and Child Health Services in New Delhi. Her work was so commendable that the Government of India sponsored her Master in Public Health at Harvard University in the USA. After a stellar career, she retired as the Director of Public Health in Tamil Nadu in 1970.
Dr.Sharma passed away on September 13th, 1987, and is survived by her daughter Ms.Sringara Nicklas who lives in the US now. She continues to be remembered with great affection by her students for shaping their perspectives on the field of medical social work.
Name : Prof. Kanan Verma 1935-2008
Kanan Verma hailed from the beautiful region of Srinagar, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The 2nd born to Pritam Chand and Mohini Rao, she grew up amidst five siblings, loving parents, and a father who was a towering role model and progressive thinker.
Before she dug her deep roots in professional social work, and earned an MSW from Nirmala Niketan, she had majored in music and was a keen sitar player (and treasured her two sitars).
After a stay in Hongkong and Singapore, the Verma household moved to Madras, and as fate would have it, she started her long and dedicated journey at the Madras School of Social Work, first as a field work coordinator followed by joining the faculty. There she stayed until she retired, committing herself not only to educating new batches of trained social workers but to the overall wellness of her students. In this regard, she was professor, mentor, friend, confidante, all rolled into one.
When her time at MSSW was done, she devoted her days and nights to supporting and investing in the well-being and future of low-income girls. Sankalp, the nonprofit she founded, and which currently operates under the auspices of the Indian Council of Child Welfare, continues her lifelong mission of building strong and bright futures for girls. She strongly believed that a girl child should be educated and that this would allow them to be independent and agents of social change. This belief transcended all others and shaped her as a parent and the values she instilled in her three children. As one of her sisters once noted, "Kanan was always interested in helping others and her choice of profession in the field of social work was perfect for her."
Kanan Verma embodied a zest for life. She never shied away from adventures (even tried to learn how to ride a scooter), took to driving when few women took to the roads, travelled extensively, and balanced work with fun. She gracefully balanced her personal and professional life, and always stood out in a crowd.
We feel really blessed to have shared her journey and are truly appreciative of the Madras School of
Social Work alumni for acknowledging her contributions in the Gurus Gallery during the School's Platinum
Jubilee Celebration.
Mohinder, Nomita, Nandita, and Nomeet Verma.
Name : Prof. Lalitha Ignatius 13th July 1946 - 11th October 2016.
Prof. Lalitha Ignatius was one of the most loved and admired faculty members of MSSW She taught
here for almost three decades, shaping the minds and hearts of countless students during her outstanding
career.
Born in 1946 in Madras Presidency, she completed her graduation in Sociology and post-graduation in Social
Work from Stella Maris College, Chennai. Later she completed her M.Phil at MSSW while teaching as a
faculty. She had always dreamed of becoming a teacher and her passion for the field of social work
education led her to start her career in teaching
Her social casework classes were filled with real-world examples and stories on how to work on challenging
interpersonal issues in casework settings. Her students specializing in Medical and Psychiatry and Family
& Child Welfare found these practical examples invaluable and extremely helpful as they stepped into their
first experiences of social fieldwork. She was a big inspiration, especially for women social workers,
many of whom credited their successful social work careers to her. This shows the tremendous and lasting
impact Prof.Ignatius had on them.
Prof Lalitha Ignatius was a gentle and caring soul, known for her beautiful smile, great sense of humor,
and nurturing personality. She always had a kind words for her students and acted as a sounding board when
they approached her with professional or personal problems. Many students benefited from her wisdom and
direction as they prepared their dissertations. Above all, she was a true inspiration for both students
and faculty, as she maintained a positive attitude even as she battled several health issues.
She will be fondly remembered by all students who had the good fortune to learn under her guidance. As a
faculty member at MSSW for almost 30 years, Prof Lalitha Ignatius will forever be a part of the esteemed
Mary Clubwala Jadhav team that spearheaded social work education in Chennai.
Copyright :- MSSW Alumni
Contact :- aamssw4u@gmail.com