I was deeply saddened to hear of David's passing. David was my PhD adviser when I was a doctoral student and we have also taught together for the Centre of South Asian Studies in Cambridge for the last few years. He was unfailingly kind, supportive and generous with his time, both to me and to the students we taught together. In fact, teaching with David was simply a pleasure, as all I needed to do was listen to his insights, erudition and jokes, while the students hung from his every word. I will greatly miss his kind-heartedness and generosity and remain grateful for his advice and support.