Debjeet Sarangi: His legacy lives on in the Living Farms
Our dear friend Debjeet Sarangi passed away on the 15 th of May 2021. One more among the lakhs who succumbed to the virus and to the government’s complacency and apathy. His health deteriorated and he was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Bhubaneshwar. He was just 53. Personally it is hard for me to reconcile with this profound loss. As he was someone with whom I shared both a personal connect and a professional one – through my work with Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (South Asia) I got acquainted with Debjeet on my previous job with Sir Dorabji Tata Trusts (SDTT). His commitment and vision in the context of the lives of marginalized communities was unparalleled. His engagement with Adivasi peoples was guided by his unshakable belief in dialogue, conversation and solidarity – qualities that have become rarer these days under the influence of market and such other fundamentalisms. He stood out among traditionalist development professionals as someone who marched to the bea...