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Former JNU professor Nandu Ram, pioneering sociologist who brought Dalit studies to mainstream, passes away

His son, Siddharth (46), who lived with him in West Delhi’s Dwarka, said the death was caused by a heart attack following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease

5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 30, 2025 08:11 AM IST

Prof Ram with students on a field trip. Over a career spanning more than 4 decades, he is credited for reshaping the field of Indian sociology. Credit: Nandu Ram’s son, Siddharth

“A simple man”, “gentle in manner”: this is how family, friends and colleagues remember Professor Nandu Ram, a pioneering sociologist who is hailed for helping bring Dalit perspectives to the heart of Indian academia.

In a career spanning more than four decades, Professor Ram is credited with reshaping the field of Indian sociology. He was among the first to rigorously explore the social, political, and economic dynamics of caste in modern India, from lived experience.

He died on July 13 at the age of 78. His son, Siddharth (46), who lived with him in West Delhi’s Dwarka, said the death was caused by a heart attack following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. “He loved to write,” Siddharth said. “… and through his writing, he wanted to uplift people from the Dalit community.”

Despite holding senior academic positions, Professor Ram lived with remarkable modesty. “He never bought a car. He always walked…,” Siddharth recalled. “Even if his own pockets were empty, he would help others.”

Nandu Ram with his first wife Rajvanti Devi. (Photo: Special Arrangement)

Born on July 28, 1946, in Marhia village in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, Professor Ram came from a family of labourers. His parents, Janaki Devi and Pattu Ram, ensured he could study even when such aspirations were rare. “He grew up in a basti outside the main village,” Siddharth said. “He had seen segregation firsthand.”

Professor Ram excelled early, topping his district in high school and later moving to Varanasi for his higher secondary education. At Queen’s College, he was often mocked for being a “villager,” but he remained undeterred.

He earned his MA from Banaras Hindu University and completed a PhD in Sociology from IIT Kanpur in 1976, where he also taught for several years.

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In 1978, he joined the Centre for the Study of Social Systems (CSSS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he would go on to teach, mentor, and lead for more than three decades. He served as the Chairperson of the CSSS from 1999 to 2001, and later as the first Dalit Dean of the School of Social Sciences.

In 1995, he was appointed the founding Ambedkar Chair Professor in Sociology at JNU. He was instrumental in creating the Ambedkar Chair and became the first Ambedkar Chair professor.

Between 2001 and 2004, he also served as Director General of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar National Institute of Social Sciences in Madhya Pradesh.

Nandu Ram with his kids, including niece and nephew. (Photo: Special Arrangement)

As a researcher, his work was foundational. His 1988 book — ‘The Mobile Scheduled Castes: Rise of a New Middle Class’ — gave scholars a new lens to examine social mobility. His five-volume ‘Encyclopaedia of Scheduled Castes’ (2007–2011) remains a landmark in the field. ‘Beyond Ambedkar’ (1995) pushed the boundaries of Dalit political thought.

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“He taught us sociology that spoke from the bottom,” said Maithrayee Chaudhuri, who was among his first students and later a colleague at JNU. “Over the decades, he built a generation of scholars who created a distinct body of knowledge on marginalised communities. He was a lone voice back then — and it was not easy.”

Even as his influence grew, he stayed clear of campus politics and public grandstanding. “He was never into sloganeering,” said Anand Kumar, another long-time colleague. “He never wore his Ambedkarite identity on his sleeve. He respected people regardless of caste or class, and that’s why people respected him.”

In 2017, the Indian Sociological Society honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The JNU Teachers’ Association describes him as “quiet but firm,” “gentle in manner,” and “a person who shall be remembered fondly by colleagues, students, and the academic community worldwide.”

His personal life was marked by joy and tragedy. He raised four children and lost his first wife — Siddharth’s mother, Rajvanti Devi — suddenly in 1989 to a brain haemorrhage.

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Professor T K Oomen (Photo: Special Arrangement)

“It felt like an entire household crashed,” Siddharth said. “She was his connection to the village. After her, he was deeply depressed for a long time.”

Despite his declining health in recent years, worsened by the Covid pandemic, Professor Ram remained mentally alert, continuing to mentor and read, according to his family.

“His muscles wasted away…,” Siddharth said. “Eventually, he caught an infection and had a heart attack.”

One of his most cherished memories of his father takes Siddharth back to the quiet days at JNU in the 1980s. “I was about 10 or 11. Papa would take me to the SSS-I canteen and buy me a samosa with chutney. I would be adamant about going there every day as a child, and he would take me along,” he said.

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Professor Owen Lynch. (Photo: Special Arrangement)

“I used to draw cartoons of his colleagues and hand them out.”

It was a simple ritual, samosas, sketches and sociology— but it captured the essence of an academician who lived quietly, taught deeply, and carried his ideals until his last day.

Apart from Siddharth, Professor Ram is survived by three other children.

“Yesterday was Papa’s birthday. Had he been alive, he would’ve turned 79,” Siddharth said.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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