P. Jeyachandran, renowned psychologist and founder of Vijay Human Services, an organisation in the city working with persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, died in the city on Monday. He was 76.
Set up in 1977, Vijay Human Services aims at empowering and improving the quality of life amongst persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities by promoting their physical, social, and psychological well being. For nearly six decades, Prof. Jeyachandran worked with several children as well as youth and introduced programmes and designed curricula to meet their needs, with a strong focus on life skills.
“His efforts and work for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities meant that he was much sought after by special educators and institutions across the country. He helped establish several such institutions, guiding them on everything ranging from the curriculum to the infrastructure needed,” said Janaki Balakrishnan, Managing Trustee, Vijay Human Services. She said that his passing away was an irreplaceable loss to society.
S. Sridharan, advisor, Krishnamachari Yoga Mandiram, termed Jeyachandran as one of the first persons in the state to recognise and include yoga as a therapeutic tool. “Prof. Jeyachandran had a chance meeting with the founder of KYM T.K.V. Desikachar in the 1970s and he then began to actively explore the use of yoga as a tool for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We have since then worked closely with Vijay Human Services and shared a close personal association with him,” he said. He described Jeyachandran as a soft spoken, simple person who was never motivated by profit.
The funeral was held on Monday evening.
