My association with David began in 2006 when he was the Canadian High Commissioner to India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and our bond grew deeper during his years as President of IDRC from 2008 to 2013. Even after he moved to Tokyo as Rector of the UN University, we continued to stay in touch. I consider myself truly fortunate to have had so many personal interactions with him—during his visits to ARO, Board of Governors delegation, official gatherings, and even on his personal trips. His kindness and warmth were something I never took for granted, especially given the stature of the man he was.
I was deeply humbled when he mentioned me in his book Does the Elephant Dance?, calling me “a dynamo of enthusiasm and effectiveness.” I always admired his clarity of thought, his commanding presence, his effortless ability to switch between languages, his high-level network, and his humor. He carried his intellect lightly, and he made people around him feel seen.
Just last week, I found myself thinking of him and considered sending him a note. I hadn’t heard from him since his warm email in 2023, where he spoke about his future plans, about settling in Victoria, BC and Cluny, France, his passion for literature, rediscovering Western and Indian music, and shared his coordinates with an open invitation to visit.
It is still very hard for me to accept that he is no longer with us. I will miss him dearly.
Prabha Sethuraman
Bulletin 79
January 2026