Lord Meghnad Jagdishchandra Desai, eminent economist, prolific author, and member of the UK House of Lords, passed away on July 29, 2025, at the age of 85. An influential voice in Marxian economics, development studies, and India–UK relations, he was known for his academic excellence, intellectual independence, and prolific contributions to literature and public policy.

Key Points:

• Born on July 10, 1940, in Vadodara, Gujarat, Desai earned his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and taught at the London School of Economics from 1965 to 2003.
• He founded the Centre for the Study of Global Governance at LSE and headed the Development Studies Institute.
• Elevated to the UK House of Lords in 1991, he later became a crossbench peer after resigning from the Labour Party in 2020.
• Authored more than 20 books, including Marx’s Revenge, The Rediscovery of India, and Nehru’s Hero: Dilip Kumar in the Life of India.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences, praising him as a “distinguished thinker, writer, and economist” who strengthened India–UK ties.