Professor V.K. Damodaran, scientific thinker, writer, environmentalist and founding member of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), passed away here on Saturday. He was 85.

He was also the founder-director of the Energy Management Centre, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), and former ex officio secretary of the Department of Power.

Prof. Damodaran played a key role in creating the early energy policy guidelines of the KSSP along with M. P. Parameswaran. He did remarkable work while holding the charge of the Energy Management Centre and KSCSTE. Later, he became one of the advisors on energy planning sectors in China and African countries. He extensively travelled to those countries, and he was the main advisor on small hydropower (SHP) in China. He was also the chairman of the Centre for Environment and Development in Kerala for many years.

In his most recent interviews, he advised people to approach the energy debates taking place in Kerala differently.

He is also the recipient of the 2012 IEEE Asia Pacific Region Historical Achievement Award for his work promoting renewable energy for sustainable energy access in remote rural areas of Africa and South Asia and for developing the Hybrid Village Energy Centre model for UNIDO. He is also the recipient of the Joint APO-UNIDO Fellowship on Environmentally Friendly Energy Technologies in Germany and China (1992-93).

A science writer and communicator with more than 20 books to his credit, he had a long academic career behind him and led several research projects and programmes.

He also held positions of president, general secretary of KSSP, editor of Sastragati, and managing editor of Eureka.

He is the son of V.P. Kutty Master of Vadakara, a freedom fighter and one of the founders of the teachers’ movement, and M.P. Mathu.

Published – November 15, 2025 03:49 pm IST