[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 22]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 31104]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           IN MEMORY OF KESH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 21, 2003

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, his full name was Nayaran Dilip Keshavan 
Ayyangar, but everyone simply knew him as Kesh. Kesh was a journalist, 
a Hill staffer, a community activist and a friend to anyone who cared 
passionately about the political, economic and cultural relationship 
between his adopted country, the United States, and his native country, 
India.
  Last Thursday, November 13th, Kesh was doing what he had done for the 
past 2 decades. He was advocating that India's interests were in 
confluence with the United States'. He had just finished taping an 
appearance on Lou Dobbs's Moneyline on CNN. Ten minutes after leaving 
the studio, Kesh was dead of a massive heart attack at the young age of 
53.
  Mr. Speaker, as a former Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on 
India and Indian Americans, I know first hand the gravity of the loss 
both countries have suffered. Not only was Kesh's knowledge of U.S. 
India relations comprehensive, the breadth and depth of his contacts, 
here in Washington and back in Delhi, was truly amazing.
  A review of Kesh's career will give our colleagues an idea of why 
Kesh was such a critical player in the U.S India dialogue. For the past 
2 years Kesh served as President of the New York City Chapter of the 
Indian American Forum for Political Education. Prior to that he was the 
Executive Director of the India Caucus here in this body. And for more 
than 15 years before coming to Capitol Hill, Kesh was a distinguished 
journalist, serving as Editor in Chief of the India Post, as the 
Washington Bureau Chief of the Indian American, as a reporter for the 
Washington Times and as the Chief Diplomatic Correspondent for the New 
York City Tribune. Kesh was educated here in the U.S. at the School of 
Journalism at Syracuse University and also in India at Osmanis 
University in Hyderabad, where he obtained a journalism degree, and at 
Andhra University, where he was awarded a degree in pharmacy.
  Mr. Speaker, I am certain all members of this body join me in 
expressing our condolences to his father, a former head of the Indian 
Geological Survey, his sister, and his many friends, both here in the 
United States and back in India. We have all lost a devoted public 
advocate. Kesh's loss will be felt for many years.

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