Rajeev Motwani was born in 1962 in New Delhi, obtained his bachelors’ degree in computer science from IIT Kanpur, his doctorate from University of California, Berkeley and was a professor with Stanford University. He founded Mining Data at Stanford, MIDAS, a group that helped develop data management concepts. He won awards that included the Godel prize, the Okawa Foundation Research Award and the Arthur Sloan Research Fellowship. His research included databases, mining and privacy.

He was found dead in his swimming pool last week. Why is he in the news? Not because he died but because he mentored Sergey Brin and Larry Page, founders of Google. What Brin wrote on his blog moved me ‘His legacy and personality live on in the students, projects and companies he has touched. Today, whenever you use a piece of technology, there is a good chance a little bit of Rajeev is behind it.’

It’s interesting to note the lives of professors and teachers. Their role is so important in the life of a student because they come at a crucial stage in life. And they kindle in you the spark that is needed throughout your life, it keeps you glowing. But how quickly they recede into the background, fade away into oblivion, while their legacy lives on.