Tribute to the Late Emeritus Professor Vimla V. Nadkarni, PhD

“This is a great loss for the world social work community. The IASSW board and friends pay tribute to our gentle leader. The social work fraternity will miss her but will never forgotten. She’s left an indelible mark on the global social work profession. The officers and President were saddened by this news as Vimla has been a colleague and great leader in developing social work in India and her commitment to the International Social Work Education Association has continued also when she was struggling with her illness. She will remain in our memory as a model and example of humble leadership.”

“The passing away of Vimla came as a great shock to the international social work community and took me some time before I could believe that this is indeed a true fact. Vimla and I shared many common visions in the development of international social work, particularly on the need to support capacity building initiatives in countries and regions where social work is emerging. Despite the frailty of her body, she was always ready to travel to distant regions to support the development of social work education and practice, and to encourage social workers to persevere with their dreams and commitments. I have fond memories of her hospitality and comradeship when we held our Board meeting cum National seminar on Social Work Education and Practice at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai in January 2011. I still remember vividly that she delivered a passionate speech during the seminar, emphasizing that “social work education needs to foster courage, commitment and skills …. and help social workers to develop self-confidence so that our commitment and values can be articulated” (Social Dialogue, Issue 1, p.46). While Vimla always carried herself with humility and gentleness, she was at heart a woman of courage, determination, and perseverance who held fast to her vision to make the world a more just place for all. The legacy that she has left behind will definitely inspire many generations to come. Thank you and goodbye, Vimla!”

“Meeting Vilma the first time as a social work colleague, implied the privilege of meeting a friend for life. With her warm and caring personality, she spoke out on injustices and stood up fearlessly for what she believed in. She inspired others to act, engaged in action at the forefront, and led by example. Her legacy in social work and social work education will continue for decades to come. Vimla’s footprints in making this world a better place, lies deep. It was never about her, but always about others. She drew from the strength of her family and so fondly spoke of her husband, Vithal and daughter, Ambika’s achievements. With her family’s inspiration, she worked tirelessly side by side with colleagues across the globe for a more just world. I will miss you Vimla, and will forever cherish my memories of you and our friendship in my heart. Your time to rest in peace has come.”

“I had a chance to know Prof Vimla for the last two decades. She was a humble leader, caring for people and each time possible attempting to draw consensus. Most probably among her different qualities, the one that can characterize her is maybe her capacity to listen sincerely to others and try to understand them. I am deeply sad by the news of her passing away. I did not have the chance to meet her and discuss with her this year and I deeply regret it. Repose en Paix, mon amie”

“I met Vimla when she shared at a conference in South Africa the journey of indigenous building of social work in her region. A gentle soul carrying an amazing amount of knowledge. May her family be comforted in the knowledge that she left a giant footprint.”

Oh dear – I have been out of touch! Vimla leaves a hole in our universe. I will miss her very much!

“From the indigenous Maori language- kua hinga te totara I te wao nui a Tane- A Totara tree has fallen in the forest of Tane (forest guardian). A leader has left us and leaves her legacy that we must now continue”.

“We lost a great social work academic and friend. My condolences to her family members and all closed persons. Vimla’s legacy will remain with us. I will miss her.”

“Prof. Vimla Nadkarni was an international leader in social work education and a good friend to the Chinese social work education community. She had been a great supporter of the China Association of Social Work Education and had made significant contributions to the development of social work educations in China through co-organizing various capacity building programmes and international seminars. Professor Vimla inaugurated IASSWs first Regional Resource Centre at the Peking University-Hong Kong Polytechnic University China Social Work Research Centre during her presidency. She has left an enduring legacy in social work and social work education that will continually to inspire future generations. Our deepest condolences to her family. May her soul rest in peace and love.”

“Sad news indeed. Rest in peace my great teacher at TISS. Selfless and fearless leader who stood for truth and justice. May her family, friends, students and colleagues find peace to bear this loss as we all release her to rest in peace.”

“I first met Prof Vimla when I served on the IASSW board of directors during her Presidency.  Vimla stood for justice and fairness and exhibited the highest level of ubuntu. She was very kind and compassionate and listened to both great and small. I listened to her numerous presentations and they were full of nuggets of wisdom so simply put that no one had an excuse to not understand. Vimla leaves a huge footprint for posterity  within the global social work community. Fare thee well Prof Vilma Nadkarni!”

“My heart is very sad. Vimla was very kind to me and very wise. Good memories of our time in IA together. May she rest in eternal peace.”

“My sincerest condolences on the passing of Vilma an exceptional scholar and activist committed to the values of the social work profession, such as human rights and social justice.  She has left a good and solid legacy I think.”

“Eternal rest grant on her soul and may perpetual light shine on her and for her and bring her, her family, friend across the Globe deep peace. Such a genuine generous and gracious spirit.”

“As ASSWA we wish to send the message of condolences to the family of Prof Vilma and the social work family. I have not worked with her personally but majority of my colleagues in Africa has  worked with her in different capacities. We believe the interaction with the Prof has left us with memories that will help us to better social work education, advocate for social justice and redistributive justice for all. Let’s treasure the  memories in our hearts.”

“Vimla, a dear friend, always there with a listening ear. I shall miss your company at future events of IASSW, and the fun we had from looking for face masks for your collection, to thinking about the future Global Agenda for social work, and the chit-chat about our families. These will serve as fond memories for me and will stay with me forever. Rest in peace and love.”

“Remembering Vimla”-I have so many memories of Vimla. She was an outstanding social work leader on the national and global stage, an inspiring educator, an author, and a friend. She had many, many professional accomplishments. But the deep sense of sadness I feel is for the loss of a warm and wonderful friend. In addition to opportunities to work with Vimla through IASSW, she visited the University of Connecticut as the featured speaker at our International Day in 2013. During this visit, she stayed at our home and we enjoyed enough time to do some local sightseeing here. She loved visiting the Mark Twain House in Hartford and wanted to pose with a statue of Twain built out of lego bricks. Vimla definitely had a fun side. She also spoke more recently on a webinar sponsored by the UConn International Center.  Even over the past year, with her health failing again, Vimla was engaged in important scholarly work. She helped me considerably with a project to internationalize the biography section of the Encyclopedia of Social Work Online. She suggested the subjects, recruited authors, and wrote one of the biographies herself, completing it in July. She was a contributor to our profession to the end. I will miss her work and especially her friendship.”

Pictures shared by Lynne Healy

“On behalf of the Israeli social workers i send our condolences to Prof. Nadkarni family, friends and colleagues . Several years ago i met her while she was visiting in Israel aimed to share her concept related social work in general and isw specifically.  Talking with her shed light on her effort to be open and  to deepen her knowledge about our way of living with social conflict , our efforts to initiate bridges between Jewish and Arabs ect.  I devote time to talk on her being a  social  work leader.”

“So very sorry to learn of the death of Vimla Nadkarni. She was a giant in Indian and international social work. She will be sorely missed by her students, colleagues and the entire profession.”

“It is with great sadness that I learn of the passing of Vimla Nadkarni. I worked alongside her during her term as the IASSW president and of all the co-builders she was the most genuinely rooted in the soil, the sky, the water and the people. Vimla had an incredible ability to describe global challenge in her own terms and through her own experience. At the time the profession turned its full attention to climate justice, she remarked, ‘We need to think of deforestation. They cut trees around my village and now the tigers come into the streets which is very dangerous’. The global roles can be challenging and at times the representatives come under pressure to be more forceful. Vimla would simply say to this, ‘I don’t do conflict’. It was not part of her belief. Instead, she chose dialogue, sought harmony and modelled the gift of listening. These qualities bloomed from her small physical presence and through the airways as an invitation to all. Tonight, I weep along with many who are grieving. But through the tears I can see her saying, ‘Just carry on, we have many trees to plant and many people to bring together.”

“It was with great sadness that I learnt of the death of Prof. Vimla Nadkarni this morning. She was one of the warmest, most compassionate people I have met. She was already the President of IASSW when I was elected to the Presidency of IFSW in 2014. She was a wonderful person to work with; the dignity and humanity that she brought to our profession was inspirational. Many have already commented on her skills as a teacher and together with Prof. Mariko Kimuru, then President of the Asia Pacific Region of IFSW, they patiently inducted me into the many treasures of Asian social work. I know that when India finally became a member of IFSW in 2015 Vimla saw a long-held dream come true. She had done a great deal of groundwork to make this possible. Her commitment to supporting others, quietly encouraging people, is one of her great legacies of leadership. Whilst achieving an outstanding academic reputation Vimla was always at heart a practitioner. Her roots in community based social work were a tremendous asset when we came to discuss ILO resolution 202 on social protection systems in the Tripartite meetings in 2015 and their importance to the Global Agenda themes. Our deep conversations about this resolution and the respective roles of the state, the social worker, and our communities to achieve social protection in our many diverse settings around the world led to the development in IFSW of our policy paper on the role of social work in social transformation. I was so looking forward to seeing Vimla in Korea in 2016 to discuss our progress – but it was not to be – she was too ill to travel. Working with Vimla enabled the partnerships between our organisations to flourish. It is at moments such as this that we realise what has been lost, we need to reflect on what has been learnt, what gifts have been given and how we can embrace the best that people offer. Vimla leaves a legacy to the profession that will long endure as we move forward in understanding our role in social development. But above all I will remember her lovely smile, her warmth and generosity of spirit in listening and helping one amongst many colleagues understand the multi-dimensions of the social work role in our communities.”

“It’s huge loss to Social Work Education in India and across the world but it’s personal loss for me, I am having same feeling when I lost my parents in 2017 and 2018. Rest in peace Prof. Vimla Nadkarni. She was kind, empathetic, helpful and a good boss. I have lot of good memories with her, my heart is full….ॐ शांतिः”

“Vimla was a legend in her life who guided and supported so many. Now she is one of our ancestors – guiding us in spirit. Her strength,  vision and inspiration will continue to be a light for us as we follow in her footsteps. Vimla we thank you for everything you did and feel so sad that we will not be able to be with you in person again. May your soul rest in peace. Condolences to all, as we mourn the loss of this beautiful person. Sending love and light, as our community deals with this huge Loss.

Dear Vimla, I heard of your departure from this world. It was, and still is, difficult for me to send my condolence. I believe that our relationship was one of the deepest trust. We worked together during your presidency of IASSW and even after both of us left the board, for many years. It was only ten months ago for us to wave our hands with our faces beaming with smiles and have a friendly nice conversation after the closing session of the 24-hour relay four-continent forum, “Social Work Academics Resisting the Globalization of Western-rooted Social Work—Decolonization, Indigenization, Spirituality, and Buddhist Social Work,”  which we organized with colleagues from South Africa, New Zealand, Malaysia, Several Asian Buddhist countries, Canada and  the United States. You voluntarily and kindly joined. Your charm will never disappear from my eyes and heart. See you again soon. Sincerely, Tatsuru

“This is devastating news. I am deeply saddened by the passing of a great soul. Rest in peace, Prof”