Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt

Dear Friends

We wish to express with deep sadness the death of Mr. Ajit Muricken who died early this morning from a severe heart attack at his residence in Vagamon, Kerala.

As you know Ajit Muricken had been the Director of Vikas Adhyayan Kendra (VAK) since 1993 and had since retired and had been residing at his native place at Vagamon, Kerala.

As Director of VAK, Ajit had helped launch a number of initiatives centering around VAK’s study and research activity. These included action-research activities viz., publications like journals, backgrounders, etc. including campaigns on issues of water rights and child’s rights. He also created networks of like-minded organizations..

One of Ajit’s major field of interest was the relevance in monitoring indigenous knowledge systems especially in the domain of alternative and traditional health care. He had also been deeply concerned with issues of marginalized communities particularly those of the Dalit community in which regard he had helped launch the Dalit Intellectual Collective (DIC). Along with his wife, Dr. Mercy Muricken, he launched health-care centres for the benefit of local communities viz., Asha Kendra, at Puntamba, Ahmedabad District, Maharashtra, and Asha Sadan at Vagamon, Kerala.

During his tenure at Director of VAK he was credited in making VAK’s activities known across Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. One of these also included the counter-information resource and documentation entre as well as, later, the promotion of the Alternative Publishing Initiative.

At the international level he also helped contribute in making VAK known as a centre for counter and alternative development centre which has since been associated with the Belgium-based, Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt (CADTM) headed by Eric Toussaint. The association led to the generation of several highly relevant discourses on the cancellation of the debts of the Global South. Moreover, he was instrumental in the creation of South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE, Nepal).

Finally, during his tenure at Director of VAK he was also credited in making VAK’s activities known in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa through its various programme activities. One of these also included the promotion and launching of the Alternative Publishing Initiative both within and outside Mumbai and Maharashtra.

Among a number of other initiatives Ajit will be fondly remembered by a number of academics as well as social activists for his assistance on various important and meaningful projects ranging from child’s rights in Goa, the movement against Coca Cola in Plachimada-Kerala and on Dalit rights, among other social concerns.

With the sad demise of Ajit Muricken the Staff of VAK wish to take this opportunity to both remember and express our gratitude to also all those who had from time to time responded favorably to Ajit’s initiative on a number of VAK’s activities – that is, training programmes, various publications, seminars and campaigns on social issues.

We are sure that a number of resource persons who were actively associated with VAK will remember him for his gesture in giving them space for their critical resource-inputs on important contemporary debates that have been well received by academic fraternity and also helped further strengthen the Centre’s resource base.

In memory of Ajit Muricken, former Director of VAK.

Suresh Shelke
Director
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Vikas Adhyayan Kendra,
D-1 Shivdham,
Link Road, Malad (W)
Mumbai- 400064
Mobile: +919869230298
Office: +912228822850
+912228898662
http://vakindia.org/

Dear All,

What a sad news! Indeed. Ajit was a very good friend and a great comrade. It’s a deep shock for me to receive this information. The friendship with him was very important for me. We knew each other since 1998-1999. He was the initiator of the convergence between VAK (India) and the CADTM. The CADTM international network was very thankful to him for this.
He came several time to my house and every time I went to Mumbai invited by VAK I stayed in his flat. I also went several times with him in Vagamon and we travelled together to Nepal, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal,...
Here are some photos Activité en Inde dans le cadre de l’atelier Asie du sud and see also: Inde : Le CADTM au Kerala et au Tamil Nadu
I always highly appreciated Ajit. It’s difficult to imagine that we will never meet again.
I’m sending my warmest and deepest condolence to Mercy his wife and to all his friends and colleagues.

Eric Toussaint
for the international CADTM network

See :
Inde : Le CADTM au Kerala et au Tamil Nadu
Activité en Inde dans le cadre de l’atelier Asie du sud
Le premier atelier régional Asie du Sud du CADTM
2d South Asian Forum IFI and Debt crisis janvier 2009