REMEMBERING SITARAM RAO
Every once in a while, we are lucky to cross paths with a person who is a true mentor—someone who teaches us, befriends us, challenges us to always do more, and stretch far beyond what we think we are capable of achieving. In an industry with many exceptional leaders, we at Unitus, are fortunate to have known and worked with Sitaram Rao, one of the greatest leaders in microfinance.
Sitaram was a true industry icon—a man with a deep sense of wisdom and an absolute commitment to helping the lives of the poor. Whether as a board member on many of our partners’ boards, a member of Unitus Advisory Board or, as he was to many at Unitus, a close personal friend and mentor, we are all better for having known him and been touched by his tremendous passion and business acumen tackling the colossal challenges of global poverty.
We send our deepest condolences to his family and the global community that mourns his passing. He will be greatly missed.
Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.
~David Thomas
Tributes from Unitus Employees:
July 10, 2009 | "Mr. Sitaram Rao was a great friend of the sector and had a special relationship with Unitus. Our association goes back to his days at SKS and subsequently, he has been one of our closest advisors.
Ever since I joined Unitus, Sitaram became a close ally and advisor to me. His insights, energy and eagerness to share selflessly were inspirations in themselves. Even when I talked to him 48 hours before he passed away, he was his usual jovial self (while in the hospital after a fatal accident the night before) saying being in hospital gave him plenty of time to catch up on next generation microfinance projects!
We pray that his family and the extended microfinance family gather the courage to fulfill his aspirations."
—Ganesh Rengaswamy, India Country Director
Rao with Unitus Employee Rama Venkatesh
July 11, 2009 | "To me, the most wonderful quality about Mr. Sitaram Rao was his genuine interest in every person that he interacted with. No one was too small or too big and everyone got his attention, time, energy and enthusiasm in full measure. It was amazing how he did that. I'd interacted with intermittently over the past few years, and each time we spoke or emailed I would learn something new. The last time we met was in May at a talk that he was giving to newly recruited managers at Ujjivan, a Unitus partner MFI. One of things he said that day will remain with me - "Determination can always win over intelligence"."
—K. R. Srikrishna, Unitus Associate
July 11, 2009 | There are many unsung heroes in the development world. None greater, that I have met, than Sitaram Rao. Sitaram was a tireless champion for solutions to the challenges associated with poverty. He strove, always with full sincerity and all his might, never seeking even an iota of glory or recognition. Indeed, he would be embarrassed when an MFI offered just a bouquet of flowers as a note of thanks. That Sitaram was seen variously as a father figure, a mentor, a guide, a friend and a thought partner by legions of microfinance practitioners across India (and possibly beyond) is the truest testament to his contribution. We once estimated that he spent on average 25 days per month on the road, visiting the ‘field’, always teaching, but also, always learning.
He was the humblest of men. He could very easily have made millions. But he chose other paths; paths where he felt he could have greatest impact.
He was a father figure to Unitus in India. Without him the organization would certainly not be where it is today. From the time I met him on my second day on the job, he was also a guide to me personally. My job at Unitus was to find promising MFIs to work with and, in my search, I would often consult various experts. The first person I would invariably call would be Sitaram Rao. His opinion was respected by one and all.
Rest in peace, good sir. You’ve more than done your share. We will do our best to carry on all your great work.
—Abhilash Mudaliar, former Unitus employee
July 11, 2009 | "Ujjivan expresses sincere condolences for the loss of Mr. Sitaram Rao, one of the founders of SKS, a leader in the microfinance industry, and friend, philosopher and guide to many. He was a star of the microfinance world and we will miss him."
—Ujjivan Team, Unitus Partner
July 11, 2009 | "We are really sorry to share that we have lost a dedicated professional of a very high order Mr. Sitaram Rao left all of us in the midst of journey to achieve a vibrant microfinance sector. He was a person with high integrity and had no boundaries to work. He was reaching the nook & corners of the country and supporting very small & tiny organizations to come to mainstream microfinance. He was in true spirit someone who works for poor & disadvantaged people. He never cared for his illustrious career and give his everything to built the microfinance sector. . .(H)is positive attitude will remain a guiding force for many of us. We at Adhikar have lost one of the closest friend we have met in our development journey of one & half decade.
We join you all with heavy hearts & express our deep condolences to the next of keen of his family members, all in SKS & all in the microfinance sector."
—Md.N.Amin and Adhikar family, Unitus partner
July 12, 2009 | "(Sitaram) was remembered as a warm, affectionate person who never said or felt anything negative about any other person. He was a man of ideas - not just at a conceptual level but at a practical level. He had mentored people who were older than him, younger than him, more experience than him and less experienced than him - and yet always learned and treasured his personal interactions with people. And he always said that he was just having fun and enjoying himself - never thought about what he did as "work".
For me, more than anything else, he was the glue that kept all of us focused and connected. Somehow he merged mentorship and friendship into one - and built a scalable mentoring model (he probably mentored thousands).
I lost a friend and a guide."
—Sandeep Farias, Founder & Managing Director, Elevar Equity
July 12, 2009 | "Sitaram Rao was the rock upon which today’s vibrant Indian microfinance industry was built. Through the years, you would not find him in the media spotlight; rather he was the common thread behind the scenes of nearly every successful social enterprise in the subcontinent. I’ll never understand how one individual single-handedly assumed the role of “trusted friend, mentor and confidante” to hundreds of our industry’s entrepreneurs and visionaries. His untimely passing may have temporarily shaken our confidence, but not our resolve. Sitaram-ji, we can never replace you, but your legacy has shown us that anything is possible and we promise you we will keep fighting for a poverty-free world."
—Sachita Shenoy, Advisory Services Manager
July 12, 2009 | "Today marks the third day after the passing of our beloved Sitaram. I spent the first two days uncharacteristically depressed – while I’ve experienced loss before, this time it was different. Sitaram and I weren’t close – we communicated both professionally and personally, but hardly enough to form attachment. And it would be disingenuous for me to even suggest that we occupied similar circles within the industry – he was often on the podium, while I was in the audience busy scribbling every word he uttered, foolishly hoping that I could somehow capture and forever archive his brilliance on paper. So, today, I found myself in a state of reflection – how could the passing of someone relatively distant cause me such deep pain?
Yes, he was an accomplished professional. He was one of the founders and former CEO of SKS, now considered to be one of the most successful microfinance institutions in the world. Largely because of his work, SKS has been able to spread microfinance to almost 4.5 million impoverished women across India. He went on to consult for and sit on the boards of an uncountable number of microfinance and development organizations. He wrote papers, gave lectures, and provided training. It came to a point where it was difficult for any microfinance organization to succeed without his endorsement.
But Sitaram was so much more than just presentation. He believed in his work – but even more so, he believed in the idea of humanity. Whenever we did manage to meet, he would invariably, and quite embarrassingly, start introducing me as an “American lawyer who came to India to fight injustice!” But I didn’t really mind - with him there was a sense of sincerity, a sense of endorsement for the ideals I held so dear to my heart that many others would patronizingly find cute and naïve. Despite Sitaram’s vast experience in the field and in the corporate office, he never once waivered in his belief that change was not only necessary, but possible.
Apart from his work as an activist, he remained a student – always keen to absorb any random nuggets of information possible. He once joined us for a strategy meeting in Assam, where we stayed in a hotel on a tea plantation. We ended up working late into the night, but he still awoke at 5am to take a stroll with the hotel manager to learn about eco-friendly agriculture practices. Because of this constant quest for knowledge, he could talk about almost anything – and would tell stories in such a way that would draw in even the most aloof. From Sanskrit literature, to American politics, to art and dance – there wasn’t a topic that couldn’t get him excited.
And despite his stature, he never carried any airs. I would watch him advise CEOs as well as field officers, and be in awe of his ability to quickly create an atmosphere of comfort and trust, and more so, a feeling of camaraderie. He could deliver the toughest of messages, but in a way that would inspire them to make those changes.
Sitaram was proof of the human potential to effect change. He embodied so many of the virtues I could only hope to one day emulate, and personally encouraged me during my struggle to remain an idealist. So yes, today, I lament the loss of Sitaram the visionary, the leader, the mentor, the activist…but most importantly – the ally. He was truly a great man – one that could never be replaced. But today I choose to take solace in the knowledge that the symbol for what he represented will live on, and continue to provide comfort and inspiration when most needed."
—Niketa Kulkarni, former Unitus employee
