When the Southern Labs Complex was built, I immediately 'moved' to the colonnade with all my possessions (coffee mug included), and my days suddenly became much more interesting. The colonnade was Krishnan's highway of sorts, as he perambulated to his next meeting, either with a fellow-researcher or his beloved chameleons. But no matter how hard-pressed for time he might have been, there were always a few moments in his day to give me the benefit of his insatiable curiosity, unflagging enthusiasm, the depth of his knowledge and the width of his grin.

Krishnan was part scientist, part wildlife enthusiast, part mentor, part friend, and all raconteur. Conversations with him were dizzying in the breadth and speed with which he thought of exciting ideas for research, and it would often take the best part of a day to digest his infinite interests, and his unfailingly entertaining anecdotes. In the space of half an hour on one particular day, I remember him jumping from poisonous birds, to bird migration, to the physics of flight, to how animals communicate, to the physiology of taste, and much more. That I can't recall much else from that conversation is not because he didn't talk about anything else, but thanks to my woeful inability to keep mental pace with the truly remarkable Professor Krishnan.

I came to know Krishnan well from February 2009, when I attended a Department of Science and Technology (DST) workshop on ecological research in northeast India, that he had been instrumental in arranging. This, along with one on ornithology, were "project initiation workshops", aimed at ensuring that young researchers were exposed to quality science when they wrote their research proposals. Evenings, suitably lubricated, were spent discussing (among other things!) wildlife science and conservation, and the directions he felt they should take in the future. Indeed, his interest in ecology and wildlife was so great, he was amongst the key people involved in making sure that two DST schools (in Avian Biology and Herpetology) have been held annually for a few years now, intended towards building the capacity of students and young researchers. A third, in Marine Biology, I hope will come to fruition even though, sadly, he is no longer there to captain the ship.

As a co-chair of the Steering Committee of the MSc. Course in Wildlife Biology and Conservation (NCBS and WCS-India), his guidance ensured that issues of funding, equipment, and infrastructure would never be impediments to the pursuit of diverse, exciting and curiosity-driven science. So great was his commitment to the program, that he was amongst the people who made it possible for the students of the program to receive funding from the DST for their thesis-related fieldwork. Many hurdles in logistics and equipment faced by individual students undertaking challenging projects have been surmounted by his ready help and ability to find ways out of a seemingly impossible solution. Amongst his long-standing interests was chemical ecology, and it was largely his inspiration that resulted in the recent workshop on chemical ecology, held here at NCBS.

Without him, NCBS will be a little emptier and our conversations a little less inspired. I echo a deep and widespread sentiment when I hope that his legacy endures, and that the foundations he laid down will be the basis for more curiosity, enthusiasm and excitement in our pursuit of science.