From Confrontation to Compassion: Indianizing Prevention and Restoring Human Dignity in Drug Response By *Suneel Vatsyayan The journey from confrontation to compassion in India’s drug response is not merely a professional reflection—it’s a personal one. It began for me in 1985, when I met a 16-year-old boy struggling with petrol sniffing. Brought by his mother to the Observation Home for Boys near Delhi Gate, this moment left an indelible impact. It was before I officially joined Navjyoti, but it became the seed of my lifelong commitment to humanizing addiction treatment. When I joined Navjyoti , established under the Delhi Police Foundation for Correction, De-addiction, and Rehabilitation in 1987, I came as a trained social worker—not just to treat symptoms, but to restore dignity. Back then, and still today, I hold this belief: No human being should be reduced to their addiction . The challenge of substance use is not merely medical—it is deeply social, cultural, and spiritual....
In 1999, NADA started working in India under the supervision and international leadership of Dr. Michael O. Smith Today that vision has grown and under Suneel Vatsyayan the co- founder of Nada India. Nada in South and South East Asia acts as an initiator, facilitator and supporter for community initiatives working towards barrier free treatment & rehabilitation services for addiction and trauma by using ear acupuncture (NADA Treatment protocol) as an adjunct treatment .