Dear Friends

Dr. Vathsala Kanagalasara was an amazing individual and a wonderful friend to so many people. In her short life, she led an exemplary life - and she loved life, celebrated it and epitomized the spirit of life. Despite her modest origin hailing from a tiny town near Shimoga in Karnataka, she strove to succeed and had a good career trajectory with a Ph.D. continuing on to a postdoc at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science. She was a research scientist in chemical engineering studying corrosion of metals in nuclear reactors at Tuskegee University until recently, before she returned to India. We remember Vathsala for ever-present smile, warmth and bountiful optimism. Anyone who met Vathsala even for a short time would have recognized that she was simple yet charming with a great sense of humor, always willing to lend a helping hand to others, and yet mature, dignified and centered. She touched so many lives especially many students that she mentored both in India and US.

While her untimely passing is an unbearable loss for all of us who were close to her, her little son Shashank and her mother Tanamma are the most affected as this is very catastrophic to them. Vathsala doted on Shashank, adored him like any mother would do and she would do anything for her 'Shashu'. Those of us who were close to her have a moral obligation to do whatever we can do to ensure that little Shashank moves forward with his life despite the death of both his parents under such cruel circumstances.

We seek to set up a trust fund to help pay for Shashank's upkeep and education in India (established legally, overseen by an accountant and an attorney) that would generate a interest income to pay for his expenses, and when he turns 18 he would get to control the principal amount, to pay for his college and other expenses.

So, please may we request you to contribute to help Shashank?  Let us keep the memory of dear Vathsala alive and let us continue to foster her dream of ensuring a better life for her little darling. She is smiling at us from up there with a sense of gratitude.