Pallium India comprises of 105 full-time staff, 10 consultants, and a network of over 150 active volunteers. The staff consists of 10 doctors, 21 nurses and 12 non-medical clinical staff, providing direct services, 10 homecare/opd teams and administrative and supportive staff. We also have a state facilitation team of 4 regional coordinators who handle expansion at a zonal (multi state) level.
Leadership – Senior Management
Mr Binod Hariharan, B Tech
Chairman, Pallium India
Binod Hariharan is an engineering graduate with three decades of experience in different capacities. He is a successful entrepreneur and on the board of 3 IT companies. He has been a trustee of Pallium India for over ten years and has been actively involved with the organization since its inception. Binod has been a volunteer with Pain and Palliative care society, Calicut, and has held the position of Vice President IAPC, Kerala.
An activist in the field of waste management, he played an instrumental role in the ‘Link Valley model’ for waste management a residential area in Kochi, embracing the concept of a ‘Zero waste community’, which received recognition as the first residential community in Kerala to be awarded a 5-star green protocol rating by the Kerala Government’s Suchitwa Mission.
Binod is a traveller who enjoys riding, driving and hiking (especially on mountain trails), and loves to explore new places, cultures, music, nature and food. He is a strong believer in the power of ‘Listening’, ‘Collaborating’ and ‘Building communities’.
Dr. M R Rajagopal, M.D.
Director, TIPS
Anaesthesiologist and intensivist-turned-palliative care physician, Dr Rajagopal’s initiatives contributed to the simplification and amendment of the NDPS Act of India (2014) and to the development of a Government policy on Palliative Care in Kerala (2008) and Government of India’s National Palliative Care Strategy (2012).
Human Rights Watch honored him with Alison Des Forges award in 2014. In 2017, Moonshine Agency, Australia, released a documentary titled “Hippocratic: 18 experiments in gently shaking the world” based on Dr. Rajagopal’s work. He was honored with Padma Shri, the third highest civilian award of India (2018).
Dr Rajagopal’s memoir titled ‘Walk with the Weary: Life-changing Lessons in Healthcare’ was published in 2022. Dr Rajagopal believes in a balance between compassion and competence in medicine. He enjoys walking and reading.
Mr Raj Kalady, MBA
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
A people’s person with strength in navigating chaotic situations, Raj Kalady has ideated and established successful businesses in India from scratch, by building collaborating teams and building partnerships. Having worked in most metros, he brings in the national perspective and has a great understanding of international businesses. Brings in the strength of building systems which work and ever ready to modify based on the changing requirement. Raj is able to bring diverse thoughts to find unique solutions.
Raj believes in life-long learning. He is an avid outdoor person; loves cycling and running, has completed a few long rides and multiple half marathons across India. He’s a certified Scuba diving instructor who also loves the mountains.
Mr Manoj Gopalakrishnan, MBA
Executive Director, TIPS
Manoj Gopalakrishnan manages the clinical and education divisions of Pallium India. A decisive leader with a people-friendly nature and a good listener, Manoj has 26 years of experience in all aspects of business leadership, P&L management, operations, sales and marketing, finance. He has developed the biggest Digital Matrimonial franchisee network in Kerala with 67 centers in 3 years, developed and strengthened the franchisee system of CDAC- PACE education program by initiating 65 training centers in Kerala within 2 years. Set up new branch offices for previous employer at Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, established sales operations nationally. Manoj holds the position of Secretary, TIPC (Trivandrum Initiative in Palliative Care) since 2019.
A pastime singer especially of old Malayalam and Hindi classics, he was the State Youth festival winner for theatre art. Manoj loves cooking.
Dr. Sunil Kumar, MBBS, DPPM (AIMS, Kochi), MSc Palliative Medicine (Cardiff, UK)
Additional Director, TIPS
Dr Sunil Kumar oversees the function of Palliative Care Center and Education & Skill building departments. He is well known to infiltrate and metastatise to the hearts of patients and caregivers with love and compassion & academic brilliance.
He was a candidate in the first University approved residential 2 year diploma in Pain and Palliative Medicine in 2005. Won first prize for a paper about “Pharmacoeconomics in Palliative Care” at “Train the Trainers” international workshop conducted at Tata Memorial Center in 2005. Commonwealth scholarship winner for M.Sc In Palliative Medicine from Cardiff University, UK, 2008. Honorary Tutor in the School of Medicine, Cardiff University, UK. Awarded International Physician Physician scholarship from American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 2018. National Faculty in Palliative Medicine. Authored about 10 journal articles and has chapters in a few books. Previous head of medical division and academic division Head of Alpha Palliative care, Thrissur. Ex, Central Committee Member of Indian Association of Palliative Care. Mentor in Quality Improvement projects by EQuIP India. 19 years of experience in Palliative Care in teaching and clinics.
Dr Sunil likes songs, reading, football and cricket.
Mr Cyriac Jacob, PG (Commerce)
Head-Finance
Cyriac Jacob is a positive, disciplined, organized and an easy to work with person, with 35 years’ experience in finance and accounting. He has retired from Terumo Penpol GM (Finance), after leading their finance team for 15 years. He has implemented various cost reduction, Lean and Kaizen ideas which resulted in big savings of cash and time, and efficiently managed the cash flow situation during the 2 years of Covid.
Cyriac is a bibliophile, and he likes listening to songs. He is keen on doing research on movie songs. Cyriac writes poems and short stories. He can talk interchanging the 2nd, 4th and 6th letter of words with 1st, 3rd and 5th letter and so on, a different kind of spoonerism (for fun purpose only).
Sr Geetha S.
Nurse in-charge
Sr. Geetha has 37 years of nursing experience, a diploma in General Nursing and Midwifery, a diploma in nursing administration, and a diploma in diabetes education. While working at Medical College Trivandrum, she was involved in the first government IVF centre in South India and was recognized for her outstanding work in the field with an award from the Chief Minister of Kerala.
After retiring from Medical College Trivandrum, Sr. Geetha has been overseeing nursing services at Pallium India, where her leadership ensures the delivery of compassionate and high-quality care.
Ms Smriti Rana, M.Sc.
Head – Strategic Programs & Partnerships
Smriti Rana is deeply invested in the cause of palliative care accessibility. She uses her voice to amplify the voices of the underserved, and is dedicated to increasing safe access to adequate pain relief and patient support across the continuum of care. Smriti is a strong advocate for health system reform through advocacy.
Smriti has represented the Civil Society perspective from the Global South at several high level events, including at the UN and the WHO. She has been part of international guideline development groups and expert consultative groups. Internationally, her work focuses on equitable access to pain relief and decolonizing health care. She is the India Advocacy Focal Point for the International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care, and is a Board Member at the International Drug Policy Consortium.
An avid birdwatcher and a keen observer of wildlife and the natural world, Smriti is also a Science, History and Poetry enthusiast. She has been a TEDx speaker, and is passionate about the role of storytelling in the medical humanities.
Ms Shalini Arora Joseph, MBA
Head – National Facilitation
Shalini is an ex-corporate management professional with 18 years experience with MNCs like Genpact and Aon. In the corporate world, she delivered through leadership roles in Operations, Project Management, Business Development, Client Relations, Advocacy and Training & Development. Inspired and influenced by Dr. Rajagopal’s work in palliative care, she made a move to the development sector to work for Palliative Care with Pallium India in 2016.
Shalini directs the facilitation of new palliative care centers across India. She leads a team of Regional Facilitators, based out of various locations across the country, who are working closely with the State and UT governments for palliative care access. The team focuses on developing palliative care and integrating it into the healthcare infrastructure of the government, non government and private set ups.
Shalini is a compassionate go-getter, who enjoys exploring & discovering new opportunities to bring a positive change. At every new opportunity, she pulls up her sleeves, gets her hands dirty and, while digging deeply, tries to create innovative & collaborative mutually beneficial solutions for all. An avid traveller, she loves to explore new places and cultures, learning through the journeys.
Ms Shriya Singh, MSc. in Psychology and PG Certification in Healthcare Management
Head – Resource Mobilisation
Shriya Singh is known to wear many hats but is popular for her compassion towards nature and animals. At Pallium India, she manages institutional fundraising and project management.
Her 13-year professional journey is diverse, starting from working in the field of rehabilitation, conference management, and service delivery of assistive devices to heading operations in a start-up.
Dr Sreedevi Warrier, MSc Palliative Medicine
Head – Education and Skill Building
Having a decade of experience of being a clinician, a teacher and a mentor Dr Sreedevi Warrier is actively nurturing her passion for spreading the worthiness of Palliative Care across the country.
She has done her Masters in Palliative Medicine from Cardiff University, Wales and is an Honorary Tutor with them. She has worked as a Senior Clinical Research Fellow in the collaborative project with UCSF and Manipal University on intersectionality in HIV, cancer and Palliative care. She has won the prestigious Commonwealth scholarship and spoken at various conferences and is a national faculty for many training programs in the country.
Apart from the full time job of taking care of 2 school going kids, during her little spare time, her hobbies include being a long distance runner, a trained Indian classical dancer in Bharat Natyam and Mohiniyattam.
Dr. Amirtha Thampi, BDS, CCPPM, GFPM
Head – Clinical Services Department, TIPS
Dr Amirtha Thampi is a compassionate individual, committed to patient welfare, with around a decade of experience in Palliative Care. She is passionate about the covert potential of Palliative Care in enhancing quality of life for the patients as well as their families.
She is trained in Promoting Assessment & Improvement of Cancer Experience via the Stanford Medicine & PC-PAICE India collaborative program. She has co-authored multiple research journals in Palliative Care including Antibiotic Stewardship in Indian Palliative Care.
She enjoys traveling and listening to music at her leisure time.
Ms Geetha Viswakumar, MA(Eng.Litt), PGDPM
Assistant Manager – HR
Geetha Viswakumar is a result-oriented, people-friendly, industrious and enthusiastic person.
She has the proven ability and expertise of 20 years in Human Resources Management in various industry segments in the Middle East, India & Singapore. She adopts a systematic approach in problem-solving and effectively analyze results and implement solutions.
She is very keen on identifying and executing effective HR mechanisms for creating a positive work environment for learning and development. Geetha has been successful in developing HR process flow & feedback system and automation of HR functions.
She embraces the philosophy of empowering people and believes that optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Trustees
Dr M R Rajagopal
Chairman Emeritus
Dr. M.R. Rajagopal founded Pallium India in 2003, with a mission to catalyse and facilitate integration of palliative care with healthcare in India.
In 2018, the Indian Government honored Dr M. R. Rajagopal with the Padma Shri award.
Dr Rajagopal is also the director of Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences, the flagship of Pallium India.
Mr Binod Hariharan
Chairman
Binod Hariharan is an engineering graduate with three decades of experience in different capacities. He is a successful entrepreneur and on the board of 3 IT companies. He has been a trustee of Pallium India for over ten years and has been actively involved with the organization since its inception. Binod has been a volunteer with Pain and Palliative care society, Calicut, and has held the position of Vice President IAPC, Kerala.
Binod is a strong believer in the power of ‘Listening’, ‘Collaborating’ and ‘Building communities’.
Ms Poonam Bagai
Vice–Chairman
An ex-bureaucrat, Ms Poonam Bagai is a cancer survivor. Her fight with cancer left her with the determination to do something about it and she founded “Cankids…Kidscan”, a very successful Non-Government Organization that provides comprehensive cancer care to children in many parts of India. She is also a joint secretary of the Indian Cancer Society. In 2011, the American Cancer Society chose her to be a “Global Cancer Ambassador”. She is based in New Delhi.
Mr S M Vijayanand IAS
Trustee
Former secretary for Rural Development of Government of India and later Chief Secretary of the government of Kerala. He heads Kerala State Finance Commission and is based in Trivandrum. Enjoys a great reputation as a person with integrity, commitment and exceptional pragmatism. Has been active as an advisor to Pallium India for two years before becoming a trustee.
Dr Soumya Swaminathan
Trustee
As the chief scientist at the World Health Organization, Dr Soumya has lead the Science Division during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Director General of Programmes (DDP) at the World Health Organization. She has also held various senior positions at Indian Council for Medical Research, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis.
Dr Vijayakumar K
Trustee
Dr Vijayakumar K has been the Prof & HOD for community medicine at Amrita Institute of Medical Science, Kochi and also the Professor of Community Medicine at CSI Medical College and Medical college Trivandrum. He has multiple national and international publications to his name and is a well known public health activist.
Dr C Mohanan
Trustee
An Anaesthesiologist by training and till recently a member of the teaching faculty at a Medical College, Dr Mohanan was volunteering as Senior Administrator of Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences since its inception. He has been associated with Pallium India activities since 2006.
Ms Ashla Rani
Trustee
Ashla Rani had come to Pallium India as a care receiver in 2014, became a full-time volunteer and is now both a care recipient and a care provider. She works with people with disabilities and also acts as a counselor for children whose families have been devastated by serious illnesses.
She won Kerala Government’s “youth icon” award in 2017. In the same year, she also won the state award for the most efficient employee in the non-government sector.
Dr T S Guruprasad
Trustee
A caregiver for wife living with MS and father who passed away due to Parkinsonism and Alzheimer’s for many years, Dr. Guruprasad is the Co-Founder Trustee of Swarga Foundation, an NGO based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, that supports people with neurological diseases and disorders.
He has a doctorate in Supply Chain Management and is an alumni of IIM Kozhikode. He has 24 years of industry experience in the Supply chain planning & Logistics. He is also the brain behind Sarathi, Tamilnadu’s first transport facility for people with disabilities.
Dr Vandana Gopikumar PhD
Trustee
Vandana Gopikumar, co-founder of The Banyan, is a visionary advocate for homeless individuals with mental health issues. Since 1993, she has pioneered an inclusive approach to institutional care and created innovative models for those in need.
Vandana mentors a second line that leads both The Banyan and BALM, offering strategic direction and clinical expertise. Recognized internationally, she has received prestigious awards, including the Renfield Foundation Award for Women’s Health and the WHO Public Health Champion Award. Vandana has developed three critical models of care for persons from ultra vulnerable communities that have been adopted by various stakeholders in India and in two other LMICs. Through the Other Identity Foundation, she amplifies marginalized voices and fosters dialogue on mental health and human rights.
In her spare time, Vandana finds inspiration in her dogs, movies, writing, and reflecting. Her dedication as a trustee of BALM continues to shape the organization’s transformative impact in mental health and social empowerment.
Dr Rajam Iyer
Trustee
Dr. Rajam Iyer is a Consultant Pulmonologist and palliative care physician at Bhatia and Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.
With a Masters in Respiratory Medicine, her experience includes 28years of clinical work both in India and international settings.
She is an MD: Pulmonary Medicine: Bombay University-1995, MRCP (UK) 2006 .
She has a fellowship in Palliative Medicine from IPM- Calicut-2018 and a PG Diploma in Palliative Medicine from Cardiff University, UK.
Advisors
Justice M. R. Hariharan Nair
Program director (Legal)
Mr Kishore Nair
Kishore Nair has volunteered as a technical and management advisor for Pallium India since its inception. His background is in architecting technical solutions and in building high performance teams. With over twenty years of experience at companies like Yahoo!, Morningstar and Envestnet, he has spent most of his career in the US and is now settled in Trivandrum with his family.
Kishore has an engineering degree from College of Engineering Trivandrum, an MS from Cleveland State University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
Mr Ashok Chitale
A senior lawyer in the Supreme Court of India, he devotes much of his time to charitable work and is involved with seven different charitable trusts in the country, three of them, dealing with cancer. He volunteered his services free, and represents the Indian Association of Palliative Care in its Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court of India.
