Former University of Hyderabad (UoH) professor Subrahmanyam Viswanathan passed away at the age of 91 in Chennai on Wednesday. He is survived by his daughter Gomathi; his wife Nirmala Viswanathan had predeceased him.
Beginning his academic career at 20 in Madura College in the present-day Tamil Nadu, Mr. Viswanathan carved a niche for himself as an English teacher before going on to teach at Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati. But it was at the UoH, where he joined within two years of its formation in 1977, that he led legions of students to fall in love with the works of English playwright William Shakespeare. He also published scholarly papers on Shakespeare in numerous journals.
“Professor Viswanathan mentored me. At a time when I faced discrimination and hate, he protected me in the department of English. He took me under his wing,” said Hoshang Merchant, who was Mr. Viswanathan’s colleague.
