It is difficult to believe that Alok is not with us anymore. He will always be remembered for his smiling face, his commitment to Ashoka, and for his unfailing courtesy
Around this time last year he was busy working with the team in preparation for our virtual graduation and ASP registrations. Never failed to acknowledge the contribution of others in the team. That was second nature for him.
Alok will truly be missed by all of us.

Alok sir was a warm presence around us all more than just a colleague. Despite our brief acquaintance, I felt his loss deeply and that perhaps is a testament to his impact on our lives.

Right before the pandemic, the Resident Assistants (RA) had invited him for the Dorm Olympics event on campus along with other staff and faculty members. Despite not being able to attend, Alok sir reached out to the organising team of students and arranged a cake for them to appreciate their efforts. These small gestures truly matter a lot and he definitely left a lasting impression on those youngsters.

I wish Alok sir's family the strength and courage to get through these difficult times. Hope they can find solace in the fact that he will live on as a kindred spirit in our memories.

The news of the passing of Alok Baraya on April 13, 2021 was indeed a sad day for all of us at Ashoka as we lost a dear and valuable colleague. But for me it was more than that, as someone who had introduced Alok to Ashoka and helped to navigate his hire in 2020, I felt a great loss and void. Indeed we had lost a colleague, a friend and a gentle soul.

Alok was a thorough professional who was knowledgeable of the systems for an educational institution and brought a great deal of value to Ashoka. The past year was hard given that the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to move to an online mode very quickly. But Alok worked hard to develop processes and plans to make the transition happen at the University for all teaching and academic work seamlessly.

He and I collaborated on the summer semester and discussed several processes that we could further refine and automate. Many of these we were able to implement this year. I would reach out to him to discuss areas of our work, plans and modes of implementation. He was always willing to listen, had reasonable suggestions and together we came up with several strategies to deal with the summer programmes, be it the Visiting Indian Students Programmes (VISP), Visiting Student Programmes (VSP) or the incoming transfer student’s policy.

Beyond this we also discussed the higher education landscape in India, the setting up of new universities, how they worked, their culture and ethos. His long experience in the education sector, which covered corporate, IT and private institutions equipped him with many ideas that he brought to bear on his work at Ashoka.

He was a tireless colleague responding to emails and working until the very last even when he had fever during his Covid infection. I spoke to him last on March 29 and exchanged messages until April 1 with the hope that we will pick up our work as soon as he was better.

In the short time he was at Ashoka he contributed in a big way to many areas that others have written about, which makes our work and life much smoother, reliable and accurate. As someone who worked closely with him, I just want to say, ‘Alok, thank you for your contributions, for supporting all your colleagues and for being the person you were. You will be remembered and I will miss you.’
Keeping his wife, Anu and children, Dev and Devika, in my thoughts and prayers. May his soul rest in peace.

It was shocking to know a family member go so soon. Though I knew him briefly but his contribution spoke a lot. May God give his family courage to sail through this unbearable and unforgetful loss. Ashoka family has lost a great gem :(

Alok's sudden departure, is very sad. I found Alok to be a very warm human being, he was passionate about his work, thoughtful about his team, and a friendly person to work with. In a short period, he made many meaningful changes and improvements in OAA. Benefits of these will last long. I hope we had more time together. I would have loved to learn and laugh with him. I pray for peace to his soul.

Alok was kindness and patience personified. Always empathetic, he was a great listener with his mind always set to offer solutions to anybody's problems. I did not know him well personally but I would always look forward to our interactions and always knew that his perspective would help. I will miss him and I know that Ashoka will miss him greatly.

Alok Sir was a high-spirited person with a positive attitude towards work and life. I still remember the first day of my joining which happened to have coincided with his birthday. It was a virtual meet with the team but Alok Sir ensured that I felt welcome and comfortable.
He constantly thought about ways in which different processes at the OAA could be improved and always ensured that everyone in the team was doing well. He encouraged the team to recommend new ideas and changes along with proactively taking up work that interests one. His commitment reflected through the goals he had envisioned for the OAA and it is unfortunate that we lost him.

He was my first work mentor with whom I have not just discussed work but at times even my career interests. It saddens me to think that I did not get a chance to meet him in person but I will always remember him for the determination and energy he brought to the team.

God's blessings and peace.

Alok sir was the kind of person who motivated others to drive positive change. He always encouraged everyone to look out for new ways in which the functioning of OAA can be improved. His proactive attitude reflected in how he enthusiastically heard our ideas and was quick enough to facilitate their implementation. He had a vision for OAA and big plans to bring that vision into reality. Unfortunately, we lost him too soon. I still remember his positive demeanour, his constant appreciation for the team's efforts and his need to ensure that everyone is doing well in the team. He was the first work mentor that I had who helped me realise my career goals. I miss the energetic vibe that he brought everyday to the team. He was the strength of the OAA team and his absence is still felt. My deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends.

I first met Alok on the 2nd of January 2020. He came in as the operational head of the Office of Academic Affairs but during the most stressful time of the year (during the transition between Monsoon and Spring semesters). Although he knew he had a lot to catch up, his demeanor was positive, and that certainly calmed the rest of us down (also a team in transition). He learned fast and always stressed on improving processes. He believed in everyone, across departments, working together as one big team, and would feel disappointed whenever he saw one department acting selfishly. He gave everyone in the team the opportunity to speak our minds and take ownership of our work. He always made sure credit was given where its due, making him really easy and fun to work him.

Alok was more a friend than a boss. He was empathetic, and extremely stylish! (I sincerely hope I can match up to his swag when I reach his age.) He was a family man, a loving husband and father. He did yoga everyday and was always level-headed. I only spent a few months with him (as I left to pursue graduate studies) but I know I made a friend for long. It hurts a lot to think I'll never see him again, or hear him joke about something completely not-funny. He will be remembered, and may his soul rest in peace!

Losing Alok is a lesson in not taking anything for granted. If somebody matters to you a lot, take a moment and let them know.

I first met Alok in September 2019 to talk to him about the role at OAA that we were looking to fill. Alok immediately struck me as friendly, personable, and humorous. I recommended that he be hired and he joined in January 2020. He quickly found his feet and when the first wave of the pandemic hit and everything switched to online, he was instrumental in helping lead the Office and the University forward, assisting, among many other things, with automating the degree check for the entire University (a huge step forward for us) and with the first online graduation in the history of the University.

Alok kept me on my toes and at while we mostly agreed, he at times disagreed with me and told me why. I much appreciated this, for I always found merit in his counsel and it was wonderful that we were able to be straight about things. He was a good listener and had a calm and humorous way of handling crises. He had a keen interest in policy building and the students' well-being and faculty concerns were always on his mind.

Alok and I frequently spoke with much anticipation about the time when, as we used to say "all of this would be over." We were both looking forward to organizing at least one team outing (probably more), to celebrating the many milestones we had achieved while separated - each one of us working from the safety of his or her home. Whenever I think about Alok, it hits me again, hard, that this can now no longer happen.

Alok's passing simply makes no sense to me, I am angry and sad about it, and I miss him. We liked and respected each other (he, too, wrote that to me in the last message I received from him) and I would have much liked to see him again, laugh together, have a samosa, a chai, a good chat. At least I was fortunate enough to see him once this year for an event - before the second wave hit. Still, it all happened way too fast and I much regret that the time we had was so short.

Alok, my thoughts go out to you and to your family. You will be remembered and you are being missed.
Om Shanti

Alok was primary in shaping a vision for the OAA as an organization that would seamlessly assist students in working through their academic program. A favourite project that he spent much time trying to bring to fruition was an app that would show students their future course trajectory depending on the choices they enter. Unfortunately, and this is my regret, we were unable, in these difficult times, to muster the talent to complete the project. Within the OAA, he stood for creating and documenting processes - a legacy that we will be grateful for.

Measured in his actions and words, we will miss his wise counsel, dignity and grace. It is my loss that I never met Alok in person.

How can I express the amazing essence and spirit of Alok Sir – his selfless generosity, uncompromising belief in all that is good and his unwavering commitment to each and everything in his sight. Words, even the very best of words, cannot pay tribute or truly capture the sense of loss that we are all feeling today. Alok Sir will be there forever in our hearts with all the memories to reminisce.