By Sam Pitroda,
Prakash N. Desai, a leading psychiatrist in Chicago and a great mind on Indian thought, died on Jan 5, 2015 at age 74.
His knowledge of India and its rituals, people, customs, festivals, languages, mythology, and traditions was exceptional. He spoke eloquently and wrote frequently on many of these issues related to South Asian immigration, personality and politics, psychological analysis, traditional medicine and Gandhi, and interacted with academics at universities both in the US and in India.
Prakash invariably talked about his theory that people from the Indian subcontinent and South Asia tend to display low and fragile self-esteem, and with egos that are readily offended. As a result, it sometimes proves difficult for the Indian mind to work in a team environment, even when all modern work requires teamwork.
In addition, feudal and hierarchical work cultures complicate performance in modern work culture. Prakash reminded us that Indians do not have an orchestra but do have great solo players. He believed that this theory of low self-esteem had to do with the status of women in Indian society.
He also believed that the Indian epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata have a lot to do with self-esteem, maan, apmaan, swamaan and abhimaan. He used his understanding of these tools to help large organizations like Bell Labs understand the aspirations and frustrations of Asian scientists and executives.
Prakash was born and raised in a large Nagar Brahmin family with 10 brothers and sisters in Gujarat, India.
His father, Navinbhai, was a lawyer who lived on Rajmahal Road in Baroda. Prakash went to an English medium school, and was brought up in a joint family environment with a focus on the fundamental Indian family values of the time; ideals based on unity, inclusion, equity and freedom promoted by Gandhi, Nehru, and Patel – the key leaders of the Indian freedom movement. Prakash went to MS University, Baroda, to obtain a medical degree.
On campus, he was known for his great oratory, exceptional leadership, and intellectual conversations molded by Raojibhai Patel, a leading professor of mathematics and a real philosopher, who guided and molded a close group of distinguished students including Prakash, Dhirubhai Seth, and Rajni Kothari.
After finishing his M.D. in Baroda, Prakash came to Chicago in 1964 to practice medicine and psychiatry. While pursuing his job, he was active in community affairs and guided and mentored several students. He was a founding member of a group called India Forum, which met once a week to discuss global and Indian issues of importance.
Prakash helped me while I was setting up C-DOT (Center for Development of Telematics) in India during my Telecom initiatives with the Government of India in analyzing the psychological health of the organization.
He sensitized and educated our team members on self-esteem, team work, collaboration and cooperation to help improve productivity. He also emphasized the fact that criticizing work and ideas should not be taken as a criticizing of the self. Prakash was against the Emergency in India and had unique views on the 1984 riots.
He believed the wounds in Punjab needed to be healed through the heart. When I casually mentioned this to Rajiv Gandhi, then prime minister of India, he immediately agreed to meet Prakash. They had a one-hour meeting in Delhi on the subject, and the prime minister asked us to follow up with the defence minister on creating a plan to heal the hearts of the people in Punjab.
At a young age, Prakash became the head of the mental health programme for the State of Illinois, and taught psychiatry at the University of Illinois. Later, he headed a VA hospital in Chicago. At work, he was an egalitarian manager who believed in discipline, teamwork, the benefits of a scientific approach to solve problems, and the need domain expertise in our professional lives.
Throughout his career, Prakash continued to share his views in newspapers, on radio, and on television. He frequently visited India to connect with his roots and took active interest in social and political discourse across continents.
I first met Prakash in 1958, where as an 18-year-old student, he was campaigning for a general secretary position at the University in Baroda. We instantly clicked in our passions and ideology, and become friends.
I reconnected with him again in 1965 at an Indian movie at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and this led to a deep lifelong personal friendship that lasted until now. To me, Prakash was not just a friend but a family member, a mentor, a philosopher, and a guide.
(Sam Pitroda is a former technology adviser to the Indian prime minister. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at [email protected])