Jesudasan Rajasekaran, affectionately known as Sekar, passed away on December 29,
2025. Sekar was connected to Oberlin Shansi Program since his days as a student at
American College, Madurai. He was a friend, collaborator, and guide for generations of
Shansi Reps and Fellows. In 1980 he was hired by the University of Wisconsin-Madison as
the Resident Coordinator for the Madurai Program in 1980, a position he maintained until
2007-08, when the program closed.
Year after year, Sekar profoundly shaped the experiences of undergraduate students on
the program. He thoughtfully matched each student with individualized tutorials—ranging
from dance instruction and pottery making to archaeological fieldwork—and prepared
them for their first experiences as independent researchers, working alongside translators
and local professors. Always smiling and unfailingly resourceful, Sekar moved with ease
through his hometown, serving as an essential intermediary and bridge between a
traditional Tamil cultural context and young American students encountering India for the
first time. Through his guidance, care, and generosity of spirit, students gained not only
academic insight but also deep cultural understanding. Many of the students whose lives
Sekar touched went on to become musicians and dancers, administrators in study abroad
and higher education, and scholars and professors of Indian Studies. Ted Samuel, one of
Sekar’s former students in the Madurai program, reflected, “Sekar was a singer, performer,
song writer, guitarist, son, husband, father, cultural interpreter, rock star, folk singer,
devoted friend, colleague, dynamo, imp, lover of life and people, connector, activist,
translator.” His intimate connection with American students was perhaps best exemplified
by his musical talents. He is remembered for heading a rock band, Rajasekaran and the
Glass Bangles, and for recording an adapted Tamil version of the Talking Heads song
“Psycho Killer,” which he once performed for David Byrne himself. He continued to perform
music well into his 70s.