[INDOLOGY] In memory of Dr Rocco Cestola

[Lucy May Constantini]

I was lost in Tübingen on a frosty February morning in 2019 when I first
met Rocco, equally lost. We found one other outside the wrong building as
we searched for the beginning of the Malayalam intensive we had just
arrived for. We navigated more successfully together than alone, and my
memories of him from that time are of vivid intelligence, curiosity and
good natured humour. It was a time of many important beginnings for me, and
Rocco is planted vividly in it. I am so very sad to hear of his untimely
passing, and sadder still that so much was taken from the last years of his
life.

His memory, persistence and courage Daniela, do, indeed inspire.
Lucy

Lucy May Constantini
Postdoctoral Researcher
MANTRAMS Project
Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies
University of Vienna


On Sun, 12 Jul 2026 at 18:39, Paolo E. Rosati via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

> I met Rocco the first time around the 2000 when we were both starting our
> studies at the Oriental Studies department at Sapienza. When in 2004 we
> followed the course of Indology taught by Professor Vergiani we spended
> time together. Later on, we also pursued our PhDs during the same years. I
> vividly remember when Rocco first told me regarding his illness in the end
> of August 2022. We were at a pub in Trastevere sharing a few bears. He was
> still in good conditions and with a high spirit. I want to remember Rocco
> like this. I really cannot believe that in just a few years he has left us.
>
> Che ti sia lieve,
> Paolo
>
> Il Dom 12 Lug 2026, 13:58 Raffaele Torella via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> ha scritto:
>
>> Rocco's entire academic career took place under my guidance. A very
>> promising young scholar and an especially lovely and cheerful person, he
>> was looking around for a suitable post-doc position when a terrible illness
>> (SLA) took hold of his life. My visit to him two years ago was one of the
>> most upsetting experiences in my life: entirely motionless apart from his
>> eyes, miraculously he had retained his openness to life and even his good
>> humour. Farewell, Rocco…
>>
>>
>> Raffaele
>>
>> Il giorno 12 lug 2026, alle ore 08:35, Daniela Bevilacqua via INDOLOGY <
>> indology at list.indology.info> ha scritto:
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the passing of a young and
>> promising researcher, Dr Rocco Cestola, who left us last April.
>>
>> Rocco was a kind and sensitive human being, an inspiring classmate during
>> our university years, and a cherished friend over the decades. His irony,
>> creative flair, and intellectual curiosity remained intact despite the
>> illness he faced, and he continued to remain actively engaged in scholarly
>> work throughout this difficult period. His academic contributions can be
>> explored through his profile:
>>
>> (https://independent.academia.edu/RoccoCestola
>> <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://independent.academia.edu/RoccoCestola&source=gmail-imap&ust=1784442980000000&usg=AOvVaw0OD7J5E57hbZWHVau0rAK8>
>> ).
>>
>> May his memory continue to inspire us in our personal and academic lives.
>>
>>
>> daniela
>>
>>
>>
>> Daniela Bevilacqua, PhD
>> *Investigadora | Researcher*
>> *https://cria.org.pt/en/people/d-bevilacqua
>> <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cria.org.pt/en/people/d-bevilacqua&source=gmail-imap&ust=1784442980000000&usg=AOvVaw01XxXLSbBhxs-B8JVbqWVj> *
>>
>>
>>
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>> https://www.google.com/url?q=https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology&source=gmail-imap&ust=1784442980000000&usg=AOvVaw0WmBRvkZFEaj467u5NAb_D
>>
>>
>> Prof. Raffaele Torella
>> Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit
>> Sapienza University of Rome
>> wwwuniroma1.academia.edu/raffaeletorella
>>
>>
>> *Fai crescere le giovani ricercatrici e i giovani ricercatori*
>>
>> *con il 5 per mille alla Sapienza*
>>
>> Scrivi il codice fiscale dell'Università
>> *80209930587**Cinque per mille <https://www.uniroma1.it/it/node/23149>*
>>
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>
>
> *Paolo E. Rosati*
>
> *PhD in Asian and African Studies*
> *https://uniroma1.academia.edu/paolo
> <https://uniroma1.academia.edu/PaoloRosati/>**er*
> *osati/ <https://uniroma1.academia.edu/PaoloRosati/>*
> ​​https://orcid.org/0000-0001-81430026
> <https://orcid.org/0000-0001-81430026>
> paoloe.rosati at gmail.com
> Mobile/Whatsapp: (+39) 338 73 83 472
>
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