When I first met him in 1978 and asked for his last name, he replied "Arvind is my name". He was very deeply against the caste system and felt that using last names (IIRC, which also indicated caste) was something that he refused to do from high school (his high school diploma name is just 'Arvind'). It seemed that this was a hassle his whole life, but one he continued because he felt so strongly.He said that after 9/11, the US government came down very hard on MIT to force use of last names and that is the first time I ever knew what it was.
Deeply thoughtful, highly caring and warm to all the people he met, he will be deeply missed!
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