This is the biography of I.P. Desai, a renowned sociologist from India. He played a pioneering role in the shaping of teaching and research of sociology in India, including the study of education, family, untouchability, migration, social movements, and social change. As a member of the Second Backward Class Commission in Gujarat, Desai sparked a debate by questioning caste as the basis of reservations. He was president of the Indian Sociology Society and contributed much to the Society''s progressive development. The book narrates Desai''s growth from a school student to an eminent scholar and institution builder. It shows how the intellectual and social context in which he studied influenced his research.