' Udai Parikh, Father and pioneer for Organisation Development in Inda is no more amongst us. He was convalescing during last six months recouping his health and even graced the NHRD annual conference at Mumbai,alert and answering all questions. To ODCP he was a becon light, to me a career- life coach to me since 1980. A multifaceted humanist, just and compassionate to everyone. A legend in his own life time, i dare say so..' Vasu...
An Ode to Dr. Udai Pareek, one of the original 100 change agents.
Dr. Udai Pareek, the founder of OD, HR, HRD, ABS, organization behavior and feedback for India just transcended this life.
I just received an email from Dr. Abria Saran (one of his Doctoral students) that he left his body hours ago. Udai and I had many talks about death.
He was one the most humble yet brightest of the OD founders. His countless books and articles served us so well. His classic article with John Jones-Pfeiffer / Wiley on feedback was used by so many of us in the early years.
Dr. Pareek, Dr.Priyadarshi Himank from Infosys and yours truly initiated the Asian OD Network in 2006/7. Presently, Dr. Peter Norlin and Dr. Lu Lee are attempting to sync ODN and AODN conferences. Oh!!!! Yes, then Dr. Charles (happy) Seashore joined in the design of the first AODN conference in Dubai.
This past year, the AODN gave it's first lifetime achievement award to Dr. Pareek.
He and I first met at NTL in the 60's. He studied at the University of Michigan , Columbia, UCLA, MIT with Lippitt, Lickert, Tannenbaum, and Miles. He especially enjoyed Dr. Bennis and Dr. Schein and Dr. Rolf.
He and I made a video with his daughter, (Dr. Khanna Sushama) on one of my last trips to India. He has some wonderful memories of how the field started... especially as it moved to Asia. I will post on the web shortly.
He and I oft had our dyadic T-Groups sessions as we hung out on the porch of EMPI in New Delh. He founded the Pareek HR/OD lab there. He and I were / are working on building OD into one of the recognized most up and coming innovative cities in the world- CVIC.
GOD bless Dr.Udai Pareek, my dear friend. He now joins his wife, Rama in the higher consciousness state of existence.
Do any of you have any memories? John Scherer sure does. John, Lynn Brinkerhoff and Dr.Udai wrote together for our Second and Third Edition of Practicing OD. In the First Edition, I chose. Dr. Udai as my expert in the world on Individual development in the context of Organization Development.
Dr. Udai and I were working this past week on helping rural development in India.
Oh.. one last note. I tell people that the T-groups that he started at ISABS are the best in the world!!! To this day, they are still effective!!
Perhaps because of the influence of Lickert, Udai is known for instrumentation and change
In Udai's own words
"My journey as a process facilitator started with my yearning, as a student of Psychology, to deal with issues of change in people, systems and societies. Working in the field of education , and having read Corey's then famous book on action research, led me in action research with teachers and headmasters. When Max Corey came to India, this was like realisation of a dream. He and I collaborated in some areas. I was familiar with the emerging field of group dynamics. Max organised a T-Group in his house in 1960 and I became a regular attendant of such meetings. I heard the name of NTL for the first time ( he was one of the early founder members of NTL). With TCM (now USAID) support I went to NTL , was taken as an intern, and made an Associate and later elected as a Fellow. During my six-month visit in 1961, I met most luminaries in the field."
Daughter, Arielle Sullivan ( one of Udai's editors) may you keep the change flame he and others lit alive into the next century!!! No pressure from dad, right.
Let us celebrate Udai's life. He is so authentic, positive, trusting, open, realizing and collaborative. He worked endlessly. He documented so well the PEARLS of wisdom for Applied Behavioral Scientists.
With a tear in my eye, joy in my heart, I now thank God for allowing me to be his life long friend, I say as Bob Tannenbaum oft said.. now onward and upward!!
We will build a statue in his memory in CVIC.
Ronald Sullivan
