Padma Shri awardee Bala V Balachandran no more

Chairman and Dean (emeritus) of Great Lakes Institute of Management, professor Bala V Balachandran died following brief illness.

He was 84 years old and survived by his wife, two sons and grand children, a press release from the institute said on Tuesday.

He was not keeping well for some time and died in his sleep at 4 am (local time) on September 27 in Chicago, United States. "With profound grief, we inform you of the passing of Dr Bala V Balachandran, who was an inspiration to many. Although we will miss him dearly, we shall carry him in our hearts and live by the value system that he built for us", GLIM said. Born in Pudukottai district, Balachandran completed his studies at the Annamalai University in Chidambaram.

He had served in the Army briefly before moving to the United States to pursue his doctoral programme. Balachandran had played an instrumental role in establishing many management institutes in the country.

He was honoured with the 'Padma Shri' award by the Centre for his contribution to education. In 2004, he set up the Great Lakes Institute of Management at Manamai, about 45 kms from here, which is one of the popular business schools in the country now. An eminent scholar, Bala's life was filled with accomplishments and accolades of the finest kind, the release added.

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