OBITUARY- KESHAV DESIRAJU (1955-2021)- COME BACK KESHAV, INDIA NEEDS YOU TODAY MORE THAN YESTERDAY

September 5/ 6th 2021, Pune, Last Updated 8th September, 2021

Keshav Desiraju is no more.

He left for his heavenly abode, in the morning of 5th September, 2021 at the Kauvery hospital, Chennai, where he was wheeled by our friends Vandana Gopikumar and Senthil Kumar after he suffered severe heart attack.

I knew Keshav for little more than thirteen years out of which eleven years rather intimately.

When I first met him in 2008 at Dehradun, I was in the throes of deep depression, which I had contracted in Sri Lanka working on an ADB Project ( though by now I had learnt to get depression camaflogued much better) and in August, 2010 and when I met him for the second time in Delhi in August 2010 by that time Vandana Gopikumar and Vaishnavi Gopikumar Co-Founders of "The Banyan" had already converted me as a Mental Health Activist.

But it was in April, 2011 that when Keshav decided that it was time to set up the "National Mental Health Policy Group" , by putting me as one of the eleven Members of the Policy Group, Keshav overnight uplifted and catapulted me as a Mental Health Expert

During his life time, out of reverence, I always addressed Keshav Desiraju as "Sir", though ever since our first meeting in 2008 at Dehradun, he insisted I call him "Keshav" - a 1978 batch I.A.S. officer, he was 8 years senior to me in the Civil Services- and the protocol was, that "Sir" was the way, we were conditioned to address our seniors in the civil services.

While he was alive, I could never muster the courage to call him by name, but in his death, I have decided to take the liberty of calling him "Keshav", probably this is the way, he would have wished me to remember him.

The memory of my first meeting with Keshav is vivid- it was a sunny summary day of 2008.

He was a senior official in the Uttaranchal ( now Uttarakhand) Government and I had descended at Dehradun as part of the " Fact Finding Mission of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)" for INR 1200 Crore loan that the ADB was considering for the improvement of the Urban Water Supply Sector of the State.

In the very first meeting, he insisted that I call him "Keshav" but I insisted on "Sir".

Even in my first interaction, Keshav stumped me by his simplicity, humbleness, oozing honesty of purpose, palpable integrity and candor, ability to go to the root of the problem, decipher the bottlenecks to the pathways of implementation but above all his moving concern for the acute water scarcity being faced by millions in the hilly areas of the state and ways to solve the problem- "the region despite witnessing one of the highest annual rainfalls in the country, faced severe draught as there were no places to capture and store and retain the water precipitation in the hilly towns and villages"

After this brief initial interaction, we went our separate ways. But the destiny had destined differently- our path crossed again in 2010.

This time our passion brought us together and it would get conjoined till his death

Within no time Keshav became friend, philosopher and guide and what not.

He last spoke to me once in July and then again in August, when he congratulated us on the marriage of my two sons. But it was more than two years back that we met last at Chennai in the meeting of the Advisory Group of PRISM, the definitive Suicide Prevention Program nurtured by one and only one Soumitra Pathare. Few know today, only couple of of months before our last Chennai meeting, Keshav had dragged me out singlehanded (with the able assistance of Soumitra Pathare and Vandana Gopikumar) from my self annihilation trip at my own hands.

CHOOSING THE TIMING OF DEATH

What a day Keshav chose to depart from the Planet Earth.

He went to the other world on the 5th September, 2021. It is the date which the country celebrates as the Teacher's Day. This is the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the Second President of India and maternal grandfather of Keshav. But his humbleness was of such a high order that few outside his inner circle even knew about his pedigree.

Keshav died a bachelor.

Nonetheless, in his death, a he has left a disproportionately large number of grief stricken orphans-his friends, admirers and well fishers, begging to the God, to repatriate him back to the earth one more time. I know it is a wishful thinking because today, his mortal remains have been cremated thousand of mile away at Chennai

It is what it is. We come this way only once.

In the sudden departure of Keshav, I am reminded of the following famous quote-

“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

Above was the way Keshav lived his life.

Keshav was no celebrity.

But today morning, a random google search- "Keshav Desiraju dies" by me, gave me nearly 10000 search results. Obituaries have been written in news papers. Grief has poured including in plentiful on the new media platforms- Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook. Messages of grief have poured from all walks of life-including politicians, bureaucrats, colleagues, subordinates, superiors, friends, music lovers and well wishers. I have been getting messages of grief from even those who did not know him in life time and for whom the first interaction with Keshav has been through his obituaries.

These messages and obituaries will dry in a couple of days. Rather as author this piece on 8th September, they have already dried up.

However, his life's work and contributions to the nation building will be there for ever.

But first, who was Keshav Desiraju?

WHO WAS KESHAV DESIRAJU?

The Author Overview of "Of Gifted Voice- The Music and Magic of M. S. Subbulashmi" a book written by Keshav, gives a rather simple and brief description for the iconic persona that Keshav had. The man of brevity that he was, it transpires, Keshav himself had penned his short overview-

"Keshav Desiraju was educated at the universities of Bombay, Cambridge and Harvard and worked in the civil service. He is a co-editor, with Samiran Nundy and Sanjay Nagral, 'of?Healers or Predators??Healthcare Corruption in India, Oxford University Press, 2018'. He lives in Chennai and is thinking about upgrading his Telugu before writing about Tyagaraja

An I.A.S. officer of 1978 batch, Keshav was originally allotted to the U. P, Cadre and when the reorganization of the state happened, he shifted to the Uttarakhand cadre. Keshav is known for being a humane and humble, firm and no non sense, gentleman bureaucrat of sterling integrity. For record, apart from getting educated in Bombay University, Keshav did his Masters in Economics from Cambridge University U.K. and Master in Public Administration from Kennedy School of Government , Harvard University U.S.A.

Nothing ignited Keshav more than the scintillating classical music and changing the life and times of the down trodden. And nothing distressed him more than the prevailing rampant corruption through the entire value chain of the architecture of health care provisioning and services in the country

Amongst the many of the outpouring of griefs on new media after his death, the one which exemplifies Keshav best with the brevity is the one posted on the Twitter by the author/ writer/ columnist Samantha Subramanian

"Impossible to think about life w/o Keshav: song lists texted from concerts he attended; his book recommendations; his gossipy phone calls; his fund of memories; coffee and cake in his living room; his snuffling giggle; the youth and capaciousness of his spirit. Just devastated".

Before I move to other aspects of Keshav, I am reminded of a beautiful aspect of his persona- his indulgence in the culinary art. How can I forget that day, when at his home in Delhi, with the melody of the soft voice of M.S. Shubbulaksmi playing, Keshav served us ( this author, Soumitra Pathare and Vandana Gopikumar) for lunch, hot crisp Dosas, sambhar and chutney made by his own hands

THE DEATH

Before I indulge in remembering Keshav, memory takes me to yesterday morning breakfast time, when my whatsup inbox suddenly popped up with a (message from Vaishnavi Jayakumar, The Co-Founder of The Banyan).

It was a message that I expected least-

"Dear All, it is with immense sadness and uncontrollable grief I'm sharing the news of our beloved friend and trustee Mr. Keshav Desiraju. He had a heart attack and was admitted to Cauvery by Vandana and Senthil where he passed on. We're in too deep a state of shock to say anything more and request privacy at this difficult time. Thank you" (through Mrinalini Ravi at 0945 hours).

The impact of the message was stunning. It chilled me down to the marrows.

I could barely breathe.

I knew Keshav was only 66. But I also knew he suffered from the diabetes. Often the heart attack in diabetic persons is silent and fatal. I do not really know precisely what happened to him. Any one who could provide some information is devastated and dazed and in deep state of shock.

All I could write back to Vaishnavi was "no Vaishnavi no, do not tell this".

XXXXX

Keshav at the time of his death was the Chairperson of "Population Foundation of India (PFI)" and a Trustee of "The Banyan, Chennai" amongst many other things. Only months ago during the peak of Covid-19 second wave, he had told me on phone when I enquired to find about his welfare-

"Akhileshwar I have taken too much on my plate than I can chew".

I did not know then, how prophetic his own words would turn into and how soon

During his service tenure Keshav held many important positions with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the Government of Uttarakhand, and the Government of India and retired as the Union Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs. These news are reported in every obituary of Keshav which I have read. But it is befitting to Keshav that all the obituaries or news paper articles on his death that I have read- have alluded to him as - "Keshav Desiraju ex Secretary Health Government of India dies or Keshav Desiraju the architect of Mental Health Care Act, 2017 dies".

Yes amongst his all legacies, the tallest are his contribution during his tenure as Additional Secretary and Secretary Ministry of Health Government of India. The following obituary of Keshav by Soumya Swaminathan talks broad based contribution of Keshav to the health sector in the country

Yes legacies of Keshav are many. Not all can be penned down so soon and that too in an article. Few of his legacies are-

"He championed the cause of public health in India like no one else before him- whether it was the case of fighting against tobacco barons or fighting to improve the life and times of Mentally ill in India. As I will touch upon later, the missionary zeal with which he worked to craft India's Mental Health Policy (2014), Mental Health Care Bill (2013) which later became Mental Health Care Act, 2017 and even the Rules and Regulation of MCHA, 2017 ( the last as Chairperson of the Committee after his retirement) in 2018, only Keshav could do.

He worked both from head and heart. And he was champion of cutting the plethora of red tape in bureaucracy to deliver the results.

I will never forget that day ( a day prior to International Mental Health Day 10th October in 2011) when Keshav called me late in the evening at home, prior to the start of the three day Mental Health Festival in Delhi on the eve of International Mental Health Awareness Day organized jointly by Ministry of Health and PFHI. Keshav wanted me to co-chair the inaugural session of the Festival with him and Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, Chairman of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) When I told him, I would be there in the audience but could not be on the dais, as I did not deserve to be part of the august panel, Keshav at once silenced me with a very much Keshav like statement-

"You are the true mascot of the Mental Health movement. You have to be there. Period".

XXXXX

Talking of the legacies which Keshav has left behind, my memory again transports me back to the week of 6th August, 2010- 13th August, 2010. Keshav had by now moved out of Uttarakhand government and was installed as the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Government of India. And I in my manic best, had given a clarion call to the nation, to observe 6th August 2010 ( the day India entered the Tenth Year of the monumental tragedy of Erwadi) as India's first unofficial Mental Health Day and the Week starting 6th August as the Mental Health Week.

As part of the Mental Health Week, there was candle lighting on Gandhi Statute across cities and towns in the country on 6th August, and on 7th August, 2010, in irrational exuberance, I had organized an audacious National Conference "Nurturing Together Sustainable Mental Health in India" in the auditorium of All India Institute of Medical Science (A.I.I.M.S.) New Delhi.

I decided Keshav would preside over the conference.

Someone had told me about his passion and deep connect with the subject.

Unwilling to come initially, Keshav came nonetheless, " after gently getting nudged by Pratap Bhanu Mehta who was then President of Centre for Policy Research (CPR) New Delhi" . But once arrived Keshav sat through the entire three hours long conference proceedings patiently.

As Chair of the Conference, he was to be the last speaker, and just before that, I presented my "Charter of Thirteen Famous Slides ( my every presentation on any subject, including professional presentations as consultant has thirteen slides- my lucky no- the date of my birth), asking urging government to respond and act. Each one of the thirteen slides had one ghastly image from the monumental Erwadi tragedy and asked one pertinent question from the Government of India on the State of Mental Health Care in the country.

All through, Keshav was meticulously making his notes for his Presidential address

When Keshav stood up to give his Presidential address, I was stunned by his candid and passionate opening words. I remember vividly today what he told then even though eleven years have gone by. Keshav started with ( his speech is recorded in any case)-

"I do not have answer to any of the thirteen questions which Akhileshwar has posed to me, But I do promise solemnly, that we in the government, are going to find the answers to every one of the thirteen questions one by one, one day at a time. And whether I remain in the government or outside I am not going to rest. I can just promise the august gathering that the Life and Times of Mentally Ill in India from here onwards will not be the same again and it is my personal promise"

As I write and update this piece sitting at my work station at Pune in Western India, in another part of the country, Chennai in the Southern India, mortal remains of Keshav were consigned to flames on 6th September, 2010. But both in life and his death, Keshav did what he promised on 7th August, 2010 amid motley of crowd in the sprawling auditorium of A.I.I.M.S. New Delhi.

Truth beckons Keshav did more than what one person could even though he lived only for 66 years very much like what Jamshetji Tata did.

The contribution of Keshav Desiraju initially during little more than three years tenure as the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health, Government of India and later during his brief stint of eleven months as the Secretary, Ministry of Health were momentous. As some one who was a Member of Mental Health Policy Group [ other members were Keshav Desiraju, Jagdish Prasad, Nirmala Srinivasan, Vikram Gupta, Thelma Narayan, Sanjeev Jain, Vikram Patel, Anirudh Kala, Vandana Gopikumar, Alok Sarin and Soumitra Pathare] and worked alongside Keshav for three years I saw his passion and burning desire in eyes to make sure that there is definitive positive change in the life and times of mentally ill in India.

During three years, we had innumerable meetings of the Policy Group in the big conference group next to the chamber of Keshav and what the group did not do- reviewing and rehashing National Mental Health Program and District Mental Health Program for the 12th Five Year Plan, drafting India's maiden National Mental Health Policy (2014) and more importantly drafting and sending to parliament Draft Mental Health Care Bill 2013 which was eventually unanimously passed by both houses of Parliament and became Mental Health Care Act, 2017.

Before I move to the life of Keshav after Ministry of Health, two things about the Policy Group beg to be told. The first was what he told me immediately after setting of the committee. He told he did not want the committee formation to be bogged down in the process of being set up with the approval of the Cabinet ( that could have given greater credibility to it with the government), he simply made list of members and through a small note got the approval of Health Minister and got going. The second was his commitment, all through his tenure of Additional Secretary and even later when he was appointed Secretary, he left all other work and would passionately participate in the meetings for the full day or at times full two days when the meetings were held off site like in NIMHANS Bangalore or CIP Ranchi

Keshav was removed from the post of Secretary Ministry of Health due to ulterior motives as he refused to bend on the issue of reappointing a tainted person to head the IMC. But before that happened, he made sure that the every sentence of the global best practices Mental Health Care Bill, 2013 that was later passed by the Parliament as MCHA 2017, had his personal stamp on it. I cannot forget the long discussions held in the Policy Group meetings ( on the subject matter of decriminalization of suicide), which ultimately succeeded in the insertion of Article 115 in the Mental Health Care Act, 2017 that eventually paved the way for decriminalization of Suicide Attempt

Make no mistake readers, even though the mandarins of powers that be, shunted Keshav from his cherished seat of the Secretary Ministry of Health in just eleven months, because he would not bend backward against his principles - The National Mental Health Policy, 2014 and Mental Health Care Act, 2017 were, are and and will always remain his babies.

It was not without reason that on 10th October, 2014, the day, "India's first Mental Health Policy" was unveiled in the Ministry of Health Conference room by Dr. Harsh Vardhan Minister and Lav Verma, the Health Secretary, the Mental Health Policy Group Members marched to the chamber of Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs where Keshav was shunted to have a photo shoot with indomitable Keshav Desiraju, the principal architect of the Policy

Such was Keshav.

On retirement, Keshav shifted to Chennai to take care of his ailing aunt.

Now he is no more.

Keshav was a versatile and gifted person. When the death came calling, he was busy planning and crafting his new creation, a book on the life of Tyagaraja, doyen of musician of Karnataka music fame after an immensely successful book on M. S. Subbulashmi. Love for music ran through his veins.

Among the many positions at his death Keshav fondest to him during the later part of life was his role as a Trustee of "The Banyan". It was Vandana Gopikumar co-founder of The Banyan and her husband Senthil Kumar ( and another The Banyan Trustee) who tried to keep Keshav alive in his last dying moments wheeling him to the hospital in their car.

But it was not to be.

There are many ifs in my mind today. Most have no answers.

But one big if is, why the hell mandarins of the power at the Raisina Road ( or else where because then the real level of power was not with PM or PMO) decided to remove Keshav from the post of Secretary Ministry of Health after barely eleven months. I am not the first person to ask this question. question

This question was asked by many people with conscience in the country small and big including N. R. Narayan Murthy and Kiran Majumdar Shaw.

I have vivid memories of another conversation I had with Keshav over a cup of coffee in his chamber, while he patiently waited as Special Secretary, Ministry of Health waiting for the then Secretary Health to retire-

"Akhileshwar my only wish is to serve the marginalized and poor of the nation as Secretary Ministry of Health, so I do not mind waiting for the present incumbent to retire. I do not want to be the Secretary of any other Ministry"

As I close this piece- I have only one wish to the Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of various States.- please make sure you implement the Mental Health Care Act, 2017 in letter and spirit.

This will be true tribute to Keshav and make him happy where he has gone.

POST SCRIPT

Three persons came to know Keshav around same time- this author, Vandana Gopikumar and Soumitra Pathare. I came to know him a bit earlier. But as normally happens to me with passage of time, I drifted but the relationship of Vandana and Soumitra grew much fonder.

Those who have bothered to read this piece. My request is to read following obituary of Keshav by Soumitra ( he prefers to call it eulogy)

And lastly, those who want to have a peek into one of the last intellectual offerings on Mental Health I am enclosing his probably the last writing published in The Hindu on 7th July, 2021 co-written with Vandana Gopikumar

Also after writing the piece, I have come across a moving tribute to Keshav by Jo Chopra from Latika Roy Foundation in the Indian Express. She knew Keshav for two decades and has truly brought out certain other attributes of Keshav which readers must know. Here goes the list

Thanks for taking the pain for reading this piece and associated articles.