Rajendra Bhandari
First of all, my most sincere thanks to Professor D N Singh through whom I came to know that my dear friend, Professor Chandrakant S. Desai, has finally departed, leaving behind countless unforgettable memories. My deepest regret is that he left us on 28 March 2025, and I have come to know of it only today, 18 August 2025.
Looking back down memory lane, I vividly recall the year 1981, when Professor Desai—then at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the USA, was to move to the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He was invited by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, deeply impressed by his pioneering work on the Finite Element Method. That visit marked the beginning of a close friendship between the two of us, one that endured for decades. He visited CBRI several times at my invitation, always combining his academic pursuits with a heartfelt pilgrimage to the sacred shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath. Later, on his invitation, I had the privilege of visiting the University of Arizona, where I saw first-hand the enormous reputation he had earned as a frontline researcher, admired and respected across continents.
One memory of his association with Roorkee remains etched in my mind. During one of his extended stays at CBRI, I requested him to help advance our research on skirted foundations, then being pursued by my colleague Dr. B.G. Rao during 1980–1990. At the same time, Dr. G.C. Nayak at the University of Roorkee was also working on FEM, and we sought to harness and benefit from the synergy of their expertise. After rigorously analysing a set of full-scale field test results on footings with and without skirting, Professor Desai came rushing to my office one day—amused yet puzzled. His analysis suggested a reduction in the capacity of skirted foundations compared to unskirted ones, even though the field tests had clearly shown the opposite—a substantial increase in carrying capacity.
This paradox triggered a painstaking review of the entire analysis, during which the fault lines in the modelling were revealed—an eye-opening lesson for all of us. It became clear that even the most sophisticated mathematical models can mislead if they are not grounded in a full appreciation of geotechnical investigations. That “failure” in the first attempt, in fact, became a stepping stone to success, leaving behind a valuable lesson that continues to guide us.
As I reflect on his life, I pay my debt of gratitude and rich tribute to the legendary Professor C.S. Desai. It is India’s pride that a young boy from the tiny village of Nadisar in Gujarat scaled such unprecedented heights of academic and professional achievement. His pioneering contributions, his humility, and his humanity will ensure that he is remembered by generations to come.
Rajendra Kumar Bhandari
Former Director, Central Building Research Institute
Roorkee (UP), India
Email : [email protected] Cell : 919810345123
