Re: Ramesh Venkataraman bid the final goodbye

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues;

Another hero in the AIDS movement Ramesh Venkatraman has moved on!!

I have received the very sad news of the sadden death of Ramesh

Venkataraman, the former Actionaid Asia HIV & AIDS regional

coordinator. Ramesh joined Actionaid in April 2007 till he resigned

his post at the close of 2008.

Over the last two years I have worked with Ramesh, he touched my

heart and become literally my younger brother. He had a special place

in my heart and will for long have a special place in my heart. We

shared in depth both official and personal challenges and

opportunities.

Ramesh had a deep passion for his work and a special love for

Actionaid, he always stood for Human Rights and fought injustice

straight on, but his health frustrated him more and more as the days

passed by. He always told me how much he knew of his abilities, but

was getting more and more frustrated by his physical strength failing

him. He feared to fail the team he loved so much, he had a sense of

responsibility that often drove him into tears of pain and hope

depending on the context.

Ramesh was immensely intelligent with super advocacy, media, camera,

drama, Information technology skills, and a rich humorous language,

something that fate never allowed him to fully utilise.

When we last met physically in Delhi , Ramesh informed me that he

feared his body was giving up. He resigned about two weeks

thereafter. We kept in touch on and off although the phone lines were

often not really friendly. Last time Ramesh and I talked on phone

briefly he was very hopeful following a knee surgery.

But like my mother often told me, when a patient gives you a lot of

hope, then you know it is about time to prepare for the worst. Human

life, she always told me, lives on hope and it is hope that must keep

you going till you rest at the end.

There is something else I learnt from the comrades of the African

National Congress (ANC) and the Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia

(PLAN) at college in Uganda, during the anti-apartheid struggles. " DO

NOT MORN, COMRADES, MOBILISE ! " , was the slogan that kept them

moving during tough times .

I am seeking of each and every one of the global aids movement

across the world, to use this time of reflection to mobilize even

more to deal with HIV/AIDS and improve our health.

Please keep the fire that Ramesh left behind burning so that we can

deliver whatever he left behind not yet done. Let us complete the

struggle for human rights passionately as he would have loved too.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Aluta Continua!

Solidarity!!

Leonard Okello

e-mail: <Leonard.Okello@...>

[Guest guest]

I had had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Ramesh Venkatraman very recently in

Mexico, It is truly shocking and I join in to pray for his family and friends

and may God give them the strength to bear with the loss.

Though I met him very briefly and it was a very short interaction, he managed to

leave an impact and I truly admired his commitment in the fight aginst HIV and

his strong view points on the HIV movement in India.

His spirit is truly undying and he will always live in our memories.

Jaya Nair

" UDAAN "

e-mail: <udaantrust@...>

[Guest guest]

I am so sorry to learn about Ramesh leaving this world. I am shocked. I know him

as a friend. We came across because of our common field of interest to work in

HIV/AIDS field. I would like to extend my condolenses to the family and friends.

Harvinder

Harvinder K Makkar, MSW, Ph.D.

Director of Housing and Supportive Services

Director of HIV/AIDS Program

Travelers Aid 75 Marietta St, Suite 400

Atlanta, GA 30303.

Tel. 404-817-7070 ext. 123Fax 404-817-9922

Cell 678-508-7188

e-mail: <kaur_harvinder@...>

[Guest guest]

I am also very sad to know about the untimely demise of Ramesh. Like you, we all

first met at Vancouver and Ramesh impressed everybody in this first

International AIDS conference. I still remember he organised screening of one

documentary which was appreciated by everyone. After that even though we never

met but I kept readingabout his activities. He was excelent in communication

skills.

 

Nevertheless, he will be remebred for a longtime to come.

Dr. Sarman Singh, MD. FAMS, FRSTMH, FSIIP 

Prof. & Head, Division of Clinical Microbiology

Department of Laboratory Medicine

All India Institute of Medical Sciences

P.O. Box. 4938, Ansari Nagar

New Delhi-110 029 (India)

Phone: (0091-11) 2659 4977, 2658 8484

Fax: (0091-11) 2658-8663, 2658 8641

Personal Website: www.drsarmansingh.com

e-mail: <ssingh56@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear friends and esteemed Colleagues,

 

I am profusely saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Ramesh Venkataraman.

I vividly remember my first meeting with Ramesh which was over 10 years ago he

immediately struck a chord of openness, friendship and he  was so full of life

zealously working, buried deep with concern for the welfare of others  and

plotting ways to fight and contain the epidemic of HIVAIDS.

He was an born optimist, led a life that inspire, gave hope and courage to those

many without. He in made multiple, crucial and laudable contribution to the

fight against HIVAIDS. He shone at meetings, workshops, conference with his deep

voice carrying forward new - innovative, creative and brilliant ideas, thought

provoking comments, bold strategies to make programs more effective to curb and

control the epidemic while advocating for accountability of implementers be it

government or the NGO sector.

Be through his voice, through print, media he worked endlessly and tirelessly

for the cause which is truly appreciable and for one I shall treasure those few

moments of working with him.

 

We must carry forward the battle against HIVAIDS with greater fervour as a

tribute to Ramesh and take a step higher and gain greater grounds in the

conquest to curb the menace of the epidemic.

My heartfelt condolence and prayers to his family.

 

Dr Chinkholal Thangsing

e-mail: Chinkholal.thangsing@...

[Guest guest]

Ramesh Venkatraman was a difficult friend to have; he demanded too

much out of you just as he made unreasonable demands on himself.

I met him many years ago at the Vancouver International AIDS

Conference and we immediately got into a loud fight.  I don't even

remember what it was but we decided to disagree and become friends.

It was silly but he thought homosexuals were born to really show

heterosexuals what they were missing in life “ and the joke was he

wasn't even one.

So I asked him point blank: " So asshole how would you know? " . His reply: " Oh, the

way they complain each time you talk about it; it looks like they are hiding

something good " .

We both laughed out so loud that everybody around thought we were smoking

something we should not have.

It was only later on that I discovered his status and suddenly I

wanted to know more. He got very angry because all he told me was

how he was a Jamia graduate in mass communications. I didn't even

know that the damn institution had a faculty of mass media and

communications because it sounded more like a madrassa training

fundoos wearing fez caps till I met that enormous woman called

Sohoni Ghosh who actually taught there.

From then on Ramesh became a dear friend though I never knew exactly

how he pulled on. I was furious with him for using my name to get

into the Trikone gay crowd in San Francisco and really teaching them

what it meant to be straight and HIV positive.

I only knew later on that he had said sweet things about me although everybody

there thought I was a crazy queen who slept with all the BJP top brass, which

would have got me the Nobel Prize for Bad Taste.

As the years raced by Ramesh looked weaker but got more aggressive

and angry: " They are not doing anything for Care and Support " , he

used to fume and I complained that they weren't doing more of

anything really. I've never seen him angrier then when the estimates

for people living with HIV were dragged down from 5.7 million to 2.5

million. " I mean what shit is the use of those figures, Even if ONE

person is infected it's bad enough, " he grumbled loudly in NACO and

everybody looked at him blankly.

As ActionAIDS's HIV/AIDS regional coordinator, it was Ramesh's

violent outbursts that many a time got results down the line. He

pushed and pushed and shoved people into taking action.

We had an incredible debate on Lok Sabha TV that had MPs phoning in and asking

whether the people on the show were really HIV positive.

That led to a positive change in the behavior of MPs and one expert group even

defended ads by NACO in FM stations and even on Doordarshans. That is just one

of the instances of Ramesh's efforts at mainstreaming HIV and its impact on

general society.

The last I really met up with him was in Mexico in 2008 where he

kept on hitting me and punching him whenever I passed him by in the

huge hall. He had stationed himself with great effort at a strategic

place so everybody could see him like a monument one cannot ignore.

I finally asked him why he was assaulting me everytime he saw me and

here is his response: " Look man, I am very angry and frustrated. If

I hit somebody I don't know they might hit me back and I'll never

get up again. So I am hitting only somebody I love and who I can

count as my friend " . He squinted at me through his glasses perched

on his nose. I flounced away in fury not knowing how correct he was.

So hit me man. Hit me, you idiot. He came to me in a dream the night

of Sunday February 1, 2009, practically a full day after he had died

painfully after vomiting blood on Saturday. He told me he was happy

and to look after all those he has left behind.

Does he know I can't look after that many people? Does he know that

all of us loved him?

Ramesh Venkatraman RIP. We can look after ourselves, you watch out

for those angels. I heard they are not straight at all.

Ashok Rowkavi

e-mail: <arowkavi@...>

[Guest guest]

We all at SATHI deeply saddened to hear about the sudden demise of

long-term HIV and human rights activist Mr. Ramesh

His passing away is a tremendous loss to the HIV/AIDS field.

Particularly his courage to stand up for the issues he felt strongly

Reading Ashok Rowkavi `s e-mail referring to his friendship with

Ramesh brought a big smile on my face. I was always surprised how

Ramesh manage to fight with me just immediate after giving a hug.

Like, Ashok I did not understood why he was fighting. I am glad to

know that he did it only to people whom he cared for.

It was Ramesh who taught me how to advocate for " treatment propelling

prevention " which was his signature terminology

Last time I spoke to him was a reconciliatory call after a huge fight

on an innocuous issue. We at SAATHII all way will remember for the

voice he lend to the issues he cared for and his courage to fight for

the rights of PLHAs

Dear Ramesh, all of us has to move on some time. We hope you have

good time fighting with people up there!

Dr. Subhashree Reghavan

e-mail: Subhashree_reghavan@...

[Guest guest]

As a member of RV''s team in ActionAid (which incidentally was just the two of

us !!) it is still very hard for me to believe that I will never get another

phone call from him, that he won't call me up in the morning and ask me " what

are the things lined up for us today " ? ; that I will never see him in office

again or lecture him on his smoking and late lunches.

Over the past one year as I worked with Ramesh we would spend lot of time

discussing the various issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS and he would express his

desire to do more. But one could clearly see that he was struggling with his

health problems and that it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to do

all that he wanted to.

All this never deterred RV and his enthusiasm for life never waned. He would be

smiling and joking in office , keeping his spirits up with endless cups of tea

and discussions about the latest movies!

I always felt that RV was a free spirit , he was not someone who was to be

bound to rules and structures. I hope he is happy wherever he is now.

Will miss him ,

Dr.Sushree Panigrahi

e-mail: <sushreepanigrahi3@...>