London: The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has launched a new student fund in memory of one of its leading academics, Lord Meghnad Desai, who passed away aged 84 in July last year.
The Lord Desai Student Support Fund was launched at the first memorial lecture in honour of the celebrated British Indian economist organised by LSE’s Department of Economics in London on Wednesday evening.
The fund is designed to provide student support and create opportunities shaped by Desai’s commitment to intellectual openness, global understanding, and rigorous debate.
Lord Meghnad Jagdishchandra Desai joined LSE in 1965 and became Professor of Economics in 1983. He served as Convenor of the Economics Department (1987–1990), founded the Centre for the Study of Global Governance (1992), and led the Development Studies Institute (1990–1995). Upon retirement in 2003, he became Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow, concluding a distinguished five-decade tenure at LSE.
A polymath in every sense, Lord Desai authored over 20 books and more than 200 journal articles. He made pioneering contributions to Marxian economics, econometrics, macroeconomic policy, and development theory, from Marxian Economic Theory (1973) to Testing Monetarism (1981).
Colleagues recall his famously cluttered office, a testament to his boundless intellectual curiosity. Described as “generous, insightful, and unforgettable,” he brought warmth, wit, and humanity to LSE’s academic life. His tutoring left an indelible impact on generations of students and faculty.
Beyond economics, Lord Desai was a public voice—writing for newspapers, appearing on radio and television, and bridging academic discourse with everyday understanding.
Created Baron Desai of St Clement Danes in 1991, he brought his economic insight to the House of Lords, where he took on roles ranging from opposition whip to economic spokesperson.
He played a pivotal role in cultural diplomacy—most notably helping install the Gandhi memorial in Parliament Square in 2015—and was committed to fostering UK–India ties.
He received India’s Padma Bhushan in 2008 for his contributions to literature and education.
