On this remembrance day, we bow in gratitude to Prof. K. M. Marimuthu, a visionary educator whose life’s work became the foundation upon which generations of geneticists were built. At a time when genetics was still emerging as a discipline in India, Prof. Marimuthu had the foresight, courage, and conviction to establish the Genetics Department at the University of Madras. What began as an academic initiative under his leadership soon evolved into a nationally respected center for teaching, research, and scientific inquiry.
For countless students, he was more than a professor. He was a mentor, including me, who identified potential before confidence was formed, a disciplinarian who shaped rigor, and a guide who taught that science must always be anchored in integrity and humility. The true measure of a teacher is not found in titles or publications, but in the lives shaped through knowledge. Today, the achievements of his students across India and the world stand as living testimony to his vision. The recent Padma Shri award bestowed upon Dr. K. Thangaraj, who walked through the corridors of the Genetics Department nurtured by Prof. Marimuthu, reflects not just an individual honor but the enduring legacy of a teacher whose influence continues decades beyond his lifetime.
We may reach great heights in our own careers, but we must never forget the roots that supported our rise or the hands that first guided our steps.
Prof. Marimuthu was that stepping stone for many of us, a pioneer who planted seeds whose fruits continue to nourish Indian science.
Though he is no longer with us in person, his spirit lives on in every laboratory inspired by curiosity, in every student trained with discipline, and in every scientist who carries forward the values he instilled.
Forever remembered. Forever respected.
— In gratitude, from generations of students of the Genetics Department, Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (PGIBMS), Taramani, Madras.
University of Madras.
