I trust you

[Rituu B. Nanda]

In Jan-Feb'21- Ramaiah International Centre for Public Health Innovations (RICPHI) evaluation for our project was out and Constellation team was planning a webinar on the project. The HealthRise Transition grant funded by Medtronic Foundation and implemented jointly by MAMTA- Health Institute for Mother and Child, Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), in which the Constellation, worked toward reducing premature mortality associated with NCDs through SALT and Community life competence approach.

For the webinar, Constellation team suggested April but out of the blue I said April is too late and lets do it in March. I was surprised  why I had said this, there was no reason. In hindsight, in April we were to lose a precious team mate from Mamta, Vinayakan. E.K  Deputy Director – Chronic Diseases

April  end Devastating news of his sudden passing away has left me deeply disturbed. We had many conversations during the course of the project.  The last whatsapp communication I had where he said that Mamta and Constellation had to work together in the future not only on NCDs but also adolescent health. But it was not to be...

Three things stand out about Mr Vinayakan

1. Gentle, kind, encouraging- these elements in his interactions inspired us to give our best.  What a fine human being!
2. The belief he had in his Mamta team was immense- Ask Dr Gaurav or Dr Harsha they know what is needed as they are closer to the ground this was his way to work- decentralised style of functioning.
3. His nuanced understanding of public health issues in India, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cameroon and Senegal. It is a blow to the Constellation as we have lost a champion Mr Vinayakan who believed in the power of communities and was deeply committed to bring about a change.

In a nutshell, I trust you - this was his attitude

On March 25, 2021 Constellation organised a webinar on Patient & people led-approach to diabetes & hypertension which I had the honour to facilitate and where Mr Vinayakan presented. You can hear this great man and enjoy how articulate and clear he was. I am so glad that he spoke two times:

1. Why SALT approach was used in the project-  4 mins:52-seconds to  8 mins:14 seconds
2. Two results he saw- 56 mins:58 seconds -59 minutes:13 seconds