Remembering Alexei Starobinsky -- the gentle giant of cosmology

I share fond memories of my former PhD advisor Alexei Starobinsky with whom I was closely associated for nearly 45 years. I reflect upon my early years in Moscow when I worked with him on my thesis, and touch upon the seminal work on inflation which he did during that period. Alexei visited India often and actively interacted with Indian scientists and students on issues relating to inflation, large scale structure and dark energy. This extensive collaboration, which lasted several decades, resulted in the publication of over a dozen important papers, several PhD's, and the development of the Statefinder and Om diagnostics, which I briefly discuss.