MANGALURU: N. Vinaya Hegde, an educationist, philanthropist, and visionary social reformer, passed away on Thursday. He was 87. Colleagues across the academic, healthcare, and social sectors joined together in paying tribute to a life devoted unwaveringly to service, equity, and nation-building.Born in 1939 to Meenakshi Hegde and the eminent jurist and parliamentarian Justice K. S. Hegde, Vinaya Hegde inherited a deep sense of public duty and moral responsibility. After a successful career in industry, most notably as the founder of the Lamina Group of Companies, which created employment for thousands, he made a conscious and defining choice to dedicate his life to the service of society. This transition marked the beginning of a journey of social transformation through education, healthcare, rural development, and community empowerment.In 1979, in accordance with the wishes of his parents, Hegde started the Nitte Education Trust, guided by the conviction that education and health are the most powerful instruments of social change. What began as a modest Kannada-medium school in a remote village with no access to formal education grew into one of the region’s most comprehensive educational ecosystems. Today, the Trust runs 43 institutions, ranging from schools to professional colleges and hospitals, serving more than 29,000 students and employing over 5,500 staff.A defining hallmark of Hegde’s life’s work was his integrated model of education, healthcare, and rural development. The Justice K. S. Hegde Charitable Hospital, along with 23 rural health centres, provides free and affordable healthcare to underserved populations across Karnataka and northern Kerala. Initiatives such as cleft palate surgeries, geriatric care, community mental health services, and disability rehabilitation stand as enduring examples of healthcare delivered with compassion and dignity.Under his leadership, Nitte (Deemed to be University) was established in 2008 with a clear social mandate. 4 of the constituent colleges of Nitte University figure highly in the NIRF rankings in their respective categories.Hegde’s commitment to national integration and social equity found powerful expression in his work with youth from India’s North Eastern states. Through the NAMASTE Centre for North Eastern Studies, established in 2016, he enabled free education, residential care, and meaningful cultural exchange. Each year, fully sponsored seats are offered to deserving students from the North East across all programmes of the University, and underprivileged children from Meghalaya are supported from primary education through graduation.Believing that research must serve society, Hegde established advanced research centres addressing real-world challenges in neuroscience, regenerative medicine, cancer, genetics, and environmental health. His vision ensured that scientific inquiry translated into tangible social impact.Beyond academics, he championed holistic development, promoting sports, sanitation, rural education, and community participation long before such initiatives gained national prominence. His belief that “every person is equal” was not merely a philosophy, but a lived principle that guided decades of selfless service.The mortal remains are kept for public viewing at his residence Sadanand, Shivbhag, until 3 pm, and at Nitte Campus between 4.30 pm and 6 pm.
