In memory of Lakshmi Narayana Syamala, Tableau Ambassador and User Group Leader

In this post, we honor the life of Tableau Ambassador Lakshmi Narayana Syamala and offer opportunities to contribute to his memory.

Lakshmi at the Delhi Tableau User Group in 2018. Lakshmi is pictured in the middle wearing a red t-shirt.

We lost a leader and friend in the DataFam, Lakshmi Narayana Syamala, a loving father and a caring husband, on 26th May, 1 a.m. IST due to COVID-19.

Lakshmi, a Tableau User Group Ambassador since 2020, brought boundless energy and enthusiasm as he supported and contributed to the Tableau Community. He was one of the founding members of the Delhi and Pune Tableau User Groups. In 2018, Lakshmi moved to Dubai and continued to share his passion for data, Tableau, and the Community by leading the TUG there. In 2019, he relocated back to India where he co-led the Hyderabad TUG and started the Server Admin APAC TUG in 2020.

“The reason why we started this user group is to give more to the server side of the DataFam,” Lakshmi said at the May 4 Server Admin APAC Tableau User Group meeting. “We want to help people— not just IT but the analysts and everyone—to become better at Tableau Server than they were before.”

He was also relentless in his advocacy to empower everyone with data, and leveraged his super powers with Tableau Server to share that message. He told this story regularly, including at the Tableau Fringe Festival in 2018 and 2019, and also shared his perspective on his amazing YouTube Channel and in his own personal blog AskLaxmi.

Lakshmi also gave back to the Tableau Community by supporting the Tableau Community Equity Task Force and kicking off Viz for Social Good in India.

“Lakshmi told me how honored he was to serve as an Ambassador and how he was committed to improving diversity and inclusion across our global community. His passion for creating a welcoming, diverse community earned him a place on the Tableau Community Equity Taskforce in 2020,” said Tableau Zen Master Sarah Bartlett. “He will be greatly missed by Tableau Community members from across the globe.”

After Lakshmi’s passing, the community has shared extensively about the tremendous impact he had on the DataFam. We’ve gathered those posts below and will continue to do so in the days to come--join us in reflecting on Naryana’s impact.

Lakshmi leaves behind his wife, one-year-old child, and mother. For those wishing to donate, a fundraiser has been established to support Lakshmi's family.