A Tribute to Mahidhara Davangere V

Asking the right questions is one of the most powerful things we can do. As cliché as it sounds, asking the right questions can truly be life changing. Robin Sharma asks a simple question in his excellent book of the same name: Who Will Cry When You Die? I believe everyone should read it and it's something I've been thinking about since the tragic passing of well-known and highly regarded Indian Actuary, Mahidhara Davangere V.

Mahidhara spoke at our last ProActuary conference and I got to know him throughout and after that event. Now I didn't know Mahidhara for long - less than a year - yet his passing deeply affected me. This, at first, seemed a bit of an enigma. Almost like a disproportionate level of sadness for the death of someone I only knew for a relatively short time. 

But when I reflected on this further, the answer became clear. What matters most in life are our interactions and specifically what the quality of those interactions look like. And most importantly, how do we make others around us feel? We often don't remember what words were spoken, but we do remember how they made us feel.

Mahidhara was a man full of positivity, enthusiasm and charm. Every time we spoke, I felt enthused. I felt uplifted. I felt more positive and happy than I did before we interacted. He evidently knew the importance of making others around him feel good.

I have a LinkedIn voicemail from him in my messages. I just listened to it again. Even that short voicemail echoed positivity and an uplifting spirit. It wasn't so much the words he spoke, but the deeper underlying intangible character that lay behind them. You can sense that in some non observable way. 

His untimely and sad death is a reminder to me we should always strive to make the most of every moment and do our best to uplift others around us through our interactions.

Mahidhara was also a man who selflessly gave his time and energy to help others. And that's one of the key things he will be remembered for. He improved the lives of many people through his positive interactions and enthusiasm for life, particularly for the actuarial profession.

Seeing the impact Mahidhara's death has had on so many actuaries across the world, it reminds me that the actuarial profession is truly a global family, where we all feel some level of common bond. It was Mahidhara's extended family. I genuinely don't know of any other profession that is as unique in that sense.

RIP Mahidhara. You will be sadly missed.