India, Sept. 28 -- Pioneering social work educator, champion of gender justice, and former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairperson and director of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Dr Armaity Desai, breathed her last in the early hours of Saturday. She was 91. The last rites were performed that afternoon, attended by grieving colleagues, students, and former students who had gone on to become her colleagues-a testament to the intergenerational bonds she nurtured through a lifetime in teaching and social work.

Her stewardship of TISS during the 1993 Latur earthquake relief marked one of the institute's defining chapters. When the government urged TISS to set up a permanent base to support affected communities, she champ...