Shankar Devarajan, Founder and CEO of Shankar IAS Academy, a popular civil services coaching institute in Tamil Nadu, was found dead at his residence in Mylapore, Chennai on Thursday, 11 October. The 45-year-old professor took his own life allegedly due to personal reasons.
Shankar was rushed to St Isabel's hospital in Mylapore, late on Thursday night, where he was declared dead. His body was then taken to Royapettah Government Hospital for post-mortem.
This news has shocked many of his students across the country and condolences have been pouring in. Shankar who hails from Krishnagiri began the institute in 2004 in Anna Nagar, Chennai. His academy was the first in the state that aimed to train IAS and IPS aspirants. His academy is of national repute and has churned out hundreds of officers who are placed is different states in India.
The Academy had recently opened a bigger building in the city.
MLA R Natraj, who has taken classes at the academy since 2010, said: “He was a very sincere and knowledgeable youngster. In just a short while, he built his academy into a successful enterprise. He had failed and exhausted all his attempts in an effort to clear the civil exams. But he learnt from this failure and decided to impart the knowledge that he had to help other students – especially those from the backward communities.”
More than a teacher, he was a friend and guide to his students. His absence is definitely a blow for aspiring students.MLA R Natraj
Shankar’s students, former and current, took to social media to express their condolences.
Shankar is survived by his wife Vaishnavi and two daughters.
(This article has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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