Tribute to Ashwath

   

    (N.Ashwath Narayan Reddy

(October 15 1954 to November 13-2025)

Thinking of Ashoo 

brings a swell of tears 

to the eyes and 

a tight knot to the throat.

It is hard to accept that someone so full of life 

is no longer among us. 

He had simply joined 

his friends for a morning walk 

on 13th November 2025, 

when he collapsed and

succumbed to  heart attack, leaving all of us stunned 

and heartbroken. 

I have long wished 

to write about Ashoo 

how we lost a Fisheries Scientist and gained an Expert Banker, but

Didn't imagine it to be

an Obituary tribute.

N. Ashwath Narayan Reddy

Whom we used to call Ashoo

My close friend, with whom 

I have shared more than fifty years of companionship. 

Our journey began as classmates in college and continued as batchmates in the Agricultural Research Service. Later, we worked together as colleagues in a research institute in the distant State of West Bengal. During those years, we also lived as roommates, sharing a room with my friends like IP and Venki. 

As a whiff of fresh air 

after a gap of fourty years, 

that too after retirement,

found our friendship, 

grow again, 

connect well, 

with each other,

Enjoyed remembering old days, Established a mature enduring friendship, in Bangalore, 

Where it all began in 1971. 

Our BFSc., batch 1971-1975 

had just completed 50 years of graduation in 2025. To Celebrate and honor the Golden Graduates COFAA had organized Golden Jubilee Celebrations at College of Fisheries, Mangaluru on 28th and 29th of November. Thirteen from our batch had decided to attend the function. I had booked my flight tickets for 27th November from Chennai- Bengaluru- Mangaluru, since it was a connecting flight, Ashoo had suggested that we travel together to Mangaluru and insisted that I take the 4:15 pm flight, since He and his Wife Mrs Sujatha had also booked the same flight from Bengaluru to Mangaluru.

On 27 th November around 4.00pm I was waiting at the Bangalore International Airport to board the flight to Mangaluru.

Suddenly there was an announcement at the airport  

“Last call for Mr. Ashwath Narayan Reddy, and Mrs Sujatha" Those words pierced my heart , it ached more.

Even before the journey began,

No show,

No smiling face 

Ashoo wasn't there,

Ashoo had suddenly 

left all of us on 

13th November forever.

While the flight ticket 

for this world, was still valid… 

but he was gone.

Leaving them behind,

carrying only memories,

I had to board the flight 

with a heavy heart.

Ashwath Narayan Reddy  

only son of Smt. and Shri. Narsing Reddy, agriculturists from Thali, a quiet little village near Hosur, nestled on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. What was once a sleepy hamlet has now grown into a thriving hub, touched by thel expanding pulse of Bengaluru and Hosur. 

He was the first generation graduate from their family.

He grew up in the same village, completed his primary and secondary schooling there, then studied at St. Joseph’s College in Bengaluru before joining the Fisheries College.                

Ashwath often joked that had he remained in Fisheries, he would have become such a striking figure that people would turn around in admiration just to catch a glimpse of him. Yet he would add, with a gentle smile, that he carries no regrets. His journey through the World of Banking gave him something far greater — the chance to transform lives, to uplift families, and to make a meaningful difference to the people who truly mattered to him.

On the morning of 13th November, around 11 a.m., I was in Chennai when my phone rang.

It was Ashoo's phone call

I answered casually, expecting to hear Ashoo’s familiar voice — but instead, it was his only son, Abhishek, calling all the way from Bengaluru, His voice was trembling, choked with sobs.

I had never heard him speak before, yet, he conveyed the tragic news, Then the words sank in. The news he conveyed felt impossible, unreal. I stood frozen, unable to believe that something so tragic could be true. A little later, Manju confirmed it, the reality crept in slowly, the shocking, heavy

and numbing news finally 

broke through.

Just a week earlier, Ashoo had told me that his son and daughter-in-law had come to India from the USA to complete their visa formalities. I couldn’t help thinking about the strange twist of fate — that his passing happened at a time when the whole family had finally come together.

It struck me that it was one fine morning only last month that we met…

I was waiting for Ashoo at Mayya's Hotel, Back then, I never imagined it would be our final meeting. As was his strict regimen to exercise After finishing his morning walk, He parked his EV scooter outside the Hotel, and joined me on the first floor where I was sitting in the corner. He came, smiling, saying “Hi, Good morning,” and apologized for making me wait.

That clean-shaven, glowing, handsome face,fair, sharp nose, large expressive eyes… slightly short, but never someone you could dismiss as short. I just sat there, staring at him in disbelief. Whatever he spoke didn’t even register in my ears.

I had known Ashwath for over fifty years. 

Nothing about him had changed. During our student days he had a moustache — that was the only thing missing now. His face looked the same Clean Shaved, Crisp, neatly ironed shirts… though lately, he had taken a liking to bright red, yellow, blue and green T-shirts too. I could easily give Ashoo a ten-on-ten for his appearance.

Walking, yoga, growing vegetables , temple restoration, social service — these were the many hobbies he cultivated after retirement.

That same gentle smile…

He washed his hands, came back, ordered a single idli and a single vada, and sat down with his coffee. Time just slipped away as we talked.

But one cannot talk lightly 

about Ashoo’s hand-washing habit. It's like If he ever see a washbasin, he had to wash his hands. If we said, “Let’s go to a movie,” he’d say “One minute,” and go wash his hands. When we lived in Barrackpore, he would wash his hands before cutting vegetables, after cutting vegetables, before cooking, while cooking, and after cooking. His commitment to personal cleanliness sometimes felt a bit excessive — and because of that, our entire batch had given him the title “Mr. Clean.”

First in class, First in studies, 

A-grade in every subject. 

He scored a perfect 4-on-4

Cumulative Average Grade Point

First rank in BFSc, and again First in MFSc. He cleared 

Agricutural Research Services and remained a topper too bagging several gold medals

on his way through out his career. Ashoo a sincere Hard-working, intelligent and brilliant 

academician One can keep on adding as many adjectives to him, yet he remained a humble down to earth person.

If that wasn’t enough, 

He excelled in sports too.

We never even knew there was an event called“half-step-jump,” but in those as well, our Ashoo won first prize. Quick, agile, athletic — he represented the University in kabaddi and volleyball. A truly multi-talented person.

Yet, for someone destined to shine as a Fisheries Scientist, 

life offered him more bitter experiences than sweet ones.

While he joined Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute as Fish Pathologist, but mostly worked on Brackish Water Fisheries. His postings were in 

all God forsaken places like, Kakdwip, Sundarbans Mangrove swamps to study prawns, their breeding habits and rearing juveniles in controlled environment. He was transferred to Odissa, initially He was posted in Puri but He had to travel to a place called Bhitrakanika Forests where the Baitarini and Brahmani rivers meet the sea and He camped along with another senior and 

a good friend Venki near the confluence to collect brood 

Fishes namely Hilsa and Bhetki Carried out Pioneering work in breeding,rearing Brackish Water  fishes in controlled environment. A breakthrough in those days.

Very few knew that Bhitrakanika is habitat for world's largest salt water crocodiles. May sound adventurous but  definitely dangerous. He and Venki survived all that and were made 

to travel and camp yet again 

at Chilika Lake, where the sea meets the land and the protruding Lake into Bay of Bengal, they lived for many days like Robinson Crusoe in an untouched wilderness, collecting and breeding brackish-water fish Bhetki  successfully — an extraordinary achievement.

But despite sacrificing everything and working so hard, his boss created obstacles that denied him the opportunity to pursue higher studies in Europe. That misfortune drove him to leave the fisheries profession altogether.

Disheartened, he changed his path, joined the Bank of India, and went on to serve with unwavering dedication for over thirty years. He rose through the ranks with the same sincerity and brilliance that once defined his academic life, and after retirement, he finally settled into a peaceful life in Bengaluru.

In one sense, the world of Fisheries lost a rare and brilliant talent when Ashoo stepped away from it. 

But far more painfully, we — his lifelong friends — have now lost him forever, a loss no profession or world can ever measure.

Today, I am sitting at the same corner table in Mayya’s Hotel — the same place, the same idli, the same vada — waiting for Ashwath.

But he didn’t come.

My mind kept whispering, “He must have gone for his morning walk… he’ll be here any moment.”

Yet another part of me knew he would never walk through that door again.

I couldn’t tell whether I was waiting to comfort myself… or whether it was the restless 

heart refusing to accept his absence.

Ashoo was our dearest friend — wise, soft-spoken, handsome, intelligent, ever-smiling, compassionate. One could go on adding praises without end.

To his grieving wife, Smt. G. Sujatha,

To his only son, Shri A. V. Abhishek,

To his daughter-in-law, Smt. K. Tejashwini,

and to all the family members —

May God give strength and solace. May the departed soul attain eternal peace.

Our humble tribute to Ashoo, 

Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Om Shanti.

Our heartfelt Condolences 

from His batchmates 

On behalf of 1975 BFSc  

B. R. Jagadeesha 

A.Jayasheela Reddy 

P. Kondareddy 

P.T. Lakshman Reddy

G. Lakshmipathi 

T. K. Lokanath 

M. Manjunath

M. M. Maragal 

R. R. Mohite 

Ram Mohan Menon 

P. Ram Mohan Reddy

Sudhir B Patil Kulkarni

K. Suresh 

Vijaykumar M. Baragi

and his senior 

B.Venkatesh

C. Vasudevappa 

and Friends