Dear Colleague,

I got a message from a friend that Prof. D. Mukhopadhyay passed away
in the early morning of 12th Nov, 2008 in Kolkata.

I have known Prof. Mukhopadhyay for many years - he has been
attending the VLSI Design and Test Symposium for several years. A
number of my colleagues at Texas Instruments, who are alumni for
Jadavpur University, fondly remember him as a great teacher.

I recall the Panel Discussion at VDAT in Bangalore (2005) where
Prof. Mukhopadhyay spoke from the audience with emotion about the
serious problem the Universities are facing in hiring and retaining
faculty. His pointed out how over generations the problem has become
more and more acute - students today have very few role models among
their teachers. He pointed out that the discrepancy in the salaries
paid by the industry and academic institutions is the fundamental
reason for this problem.

Prof. Mukhopadhyay was instrumental in taking VDAT 2007 to Kolkata.
He convinced many Professors and Industry leaders from Kolkata to
make a proposal for hosting VDAT 2007. He himself served as one of
the Program Chairs and contributed to the success of the event. On
several occasions, I had the opportunity to meet him and listen to
his ideas. I admired his passion for his students, teaching, and
research work.

Prof. Mukhopadhyay will be missed not only by his family and
students, but also by the VLSI community of India, to which he has
made a significant contribution.

On behalf of VSI and on my own behalf, I offer my condolences to his
family. A fitting tribute to Prof. Mukhopadhyay will come in the
form any efforts we make towards improving the faculty position in
our Universities.

Regards,

C.P. Ravikumar