KVP Awardees 2007-08

Lifetime Achievement KVP

Professor M.S.Swaminathan

Professor Swaminathan has been described by the United Nations Environment Programme as ‘the Father of Economic Ecology’. A plant geneticist by training, Professor Swaminathan's contributions to the agricultural renaissance of India have led to his being widely referred to as the scientific leader of the green revolution movement. His advocacy of sustainable agriculture leading to an ever-green revolution makes him an acknowledged world leader in the field of sustainable food security. He has had a pioneering role in mainstreaming gender considerations in agriculture and rural development, and has been nationally and internationally recognized and awarded for his his outstanding scientific contribution in the field of agriculture.

Lifelong Fight for Social Justice through Citizen Action KVP

Mr. Alyque Padamsee

Mr. Alyque Padamsee is the CEO of AP Advertising Pvt. Ltd. For 14 years. Mr. Padamsee was the Chief Executive who built Lintas India to be one of the top agencies in the country. Known as the Brand Father of Indian Advertising,Mr. Padamsee has built brands like Liril, Park Avenue, Jet Airways, and the sensational Kamasutra. Mr. Padamsee is also the guru of the English Theatre in India, and is famous for his Theatre productions. The Advertising Club of Bombay named him “Advertising Man of the Century”. He is also the only Indian to be voted into the International Clio Hall of Fame, the Oscars of World Advertising.
He works as a Social Activist for the Citizens for Justice & Peace Committee, which works on communal harmony, the Citizens Action Group, Citizen’s Council for a Better Tomorrow, the BBC Trust on an Eradication of Leprosy program among others. The President of India has conferred on him the Padmashree Award.

Corporate Citizen for Holistic CSR Initiatives KVP

Mamta Saikia

has long been part of the development sector, before taking charge of Bharti Telecom's CSR Operations. The woman behind the brand CRY (Child Relief and You) and its immensely successful fund-raising strategy. She has also worked as an independent consultant for various international development agencies, including Oxfam, ICCO and People For Animals. She went on to completely revamp Bharti's philanthropic strategy, winning both accolades and respect for the company's CSR efforts. Now leading the 'Satya Bharti School' Project, one of the country's most ambitious development projects. Mamta Saikia takes on this role just as effortlessly as the multifarious ones in the past.

Corporate Citizen for Holistic IT Initiatives KVP

Mr. P. Sridhar Reddy

is the founder of Rs. 500 Crores Pioneer Group with interests in Engineering & Technology. Mr. Reddy launched Pioneer in IT consulting, evolving original products as well as turnkey solutions for clients no less than State Governments, MNC Corporations and large PSUs. He currently pilots Ctrl S Datacenters Ltd., a tier IV disaster recovery Center and establishing property development company Iconic Designs Pvt. Ltd. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work, including a citation from the Government of Andhra Pradesh for developing innovative e-governance solutions.

Global Indian KVP

Mr. Pavan Sukhdev

Pavan Sukhdev is the Managing Director in the Global Markets division of Deutsche Bank AG, based in London. He was deeply involved in the evolution of India’s currency & interest rate markets from 1993 to 1998. He pioneered the introduction into India of an ‘Overnight Index Swap’ (OIS), now India’s most liquid interest rate derivatives instrument. He has also been deeply committed to environmental protection in India and has pursued this interest through his contribution to various organizations including Green Indian States Trust (GIST), Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) and India Environment Trust.

Artistes 4 Change KVP -Mainstream Actor

Rahul Bose

Rahul Bose is one of the premier actors of alternative Indian cinema. Apart from working primarily on cinema that sends a message, noteworthy among his work in the social sector is his post-tsunami effort in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Subsequently, he successfully established his own NGO- The Foundation, which works on preventing discrimination of all kinds, with special focus on communal harmony, children and gender equality. He is a global ambassador of Oxfam, on the advisory board of 'Breakthrough', a New York-based NGO committed to gender equality and human rights, on the Board of the citizen venture- Citizens for Justice and Peace, and a global ambassador of the American India Foundation.

Artistes 4 Change KVP - Music

Remo Fernandes

Remo Fernandes is India’s leading and highest selling rock musician. Writing songs on socio-political protest from an early age onwards, Remo has risen far from where he started- hitch-hiking across Europe armed with nothing but his talent and his guitar, passing a hat around to earn for basic necessities. His songs have campaigned for responsible action against drug abuse, promiscuity leading to HIV- AIDS, awareness about SARS, bird flu and much more. Now an internationally renowned star, he has not only been awarded the Padmashree by the President of India, he has even played and sung with rock giants Jethro Tull and George Harrison.

Artistes 4 Change KVP - Theatre

Sushma Veer

Sushma Veer is a multi facet and multi talented award-winning artist. She is a respected Actor, Dancer, Painter, Singer, Composer & Producer. She retired from acting in main stream cinema and now is solely concentrating on producing high quality and meaningful theatre and cinema through her brain child, Katha-kar. She is the founder-manager of an NGO, Akanksha, which works for the visually impaired children, children with special needs and cancer patients. She produced a path breaking music video ‘KASH’ to raise funds for Akanksha. The video starts the biggest Indian sports stars, actors, musicians and eminent politicians.

Sports People 4 Change KVP

Gopichand Pullela

Gopichand Pullela is one of the brightest stars of Indian Badminton. An international athlete, he came under the spotlight when he refused a lucrative endorsement for a big cola company, insisting that values are more important than money. He is also involved with various other causes including PETA.

Mahesh Bhupathi and Shvetha Bhupathi

Mahesh Bhupathi is a ten-time grand-slam winner and Padmashree awardee. He and his wife Shvetha Bhupathi have found FIST- Foundation of Indian Sporting Talent - an open-ended trust that strives to raise funds from corporate houses and wealthy individuals to support young people who have the potential to become tennis champions, given the right training and exposure. It is a non-profit venture. The young aces that emerge from its training will contribute a percentage of their earnings to support the fund and its programs, thus ensuring ongoing relationships and building responsibility in young champions.

Kids 4 Change KVP

Benzy Kumar

Benzy is a mentally challenged young girl. It is solely through her music that she is able to express herself. She has managed to overcome her challenges and develop into an internationally recognized child star with special abilities. She has received an Award citation from the President of India and many International embassies as well, and has performed in the presence of illustrious individuals including the Chief Minister of Delhi. Benzy is a shining example of strength in the face of adversity and is truly a special child.

Akhil Akkineni

Akhil Akkineni started making a difference from the time when he was only a year old. He acted in a film called Sisindri, winning the hearts of all, and the proceeds from which went to build a hospital and shelter for animals in Hyderabad. Since then, Akhil has helped raise money, awareness and collecting items to help various causes.

Professional Citizen KVP

Raj Bhandare

Raj Bhandare is an architect, an artist, an entrepreneur. Fascinated by Indian spiritualism and symbolism, his paintings express the roots of Indian spiritualism. Influenced by the plight of our soldiers in Kargil, a plan for a T-shirt exhibition turned into a full-fledged company called Nirvana. Through his T-shirt company, he displays socio-political and cultural messages that are typically related to the Indian scenario, and publicise social ills in new and innovative ways. Media Citizen KVP

Mainstream Film Maker KVP

Revathy

Revathy is an award winning Indian actor and director. Through the strong character roles she has played, she has managed to touch thousands of lives, especially of the oppressed Indian women. She has been working with the disabled and mentally ill, women and children through organizations including the Ability Foundation, the Banyan, Vidyasagar and the Tanker Foundation with whom she works for awareness about renal diseases and organ donation.

Media Citizen KVP - Print Journalist

Altaf Ahmad

Mr. Altaf Ahmed is a freelance journalist and a social activist with a special interest in human rights. He has been working for the last 25 years on communal and linguistic harmony, peace and human rights. He has organized campaigns and written a number of articles on social issues like land rights, tribal rights, Indo-Pak harmony, environment, conservation of resources, etc. and has also been recognized by the Indian government for his services to the community.

University Student Citizen KVP

Ishita Chaudhry

Ishita Chaudhry is the Founder and Director of The Youth Parliament (YP), a multi stakeholder platform that is committed to developing the uninhibited expression of young people. Ishita’s primary objective with The YP is to develop the innovative ventures by young minds, so as to bridge the existing gap between young people and their environment by creating a platform for their ideas, opinions and talent. Her work has been recognised and applauded by a number of national and international organisations, including UN agency for her work on HIV AIDS.

Young Social Entrepreneur Citizen KVP

Abhishek Bharadwaj

Abhishek Bharadwaj is the founder of Alternative Realities, an NGO working for the Homeless. Having seen poverty and injustice from childhood, he managed to carve his own destiny outside his upbringing. He chose to give back to community through social work for the urban poor, the youth, women, children and much more. Abhishek has been recognized for his commitment to protection of human rights.

Young Creative Citizen KVP

Ankur Garg and Vivek Kumar Singh

Ankur Garg, a young and enthusiastic advertising professional, an art director by profession and a creator by passion. Ankur cajoles, entices and enchants through his innovative campaigns. Not only are his campaigns entertaining, they also carry meaning that have the power to change people’s lives. Winner of the Maneka Gandhi Award for Care for Street Animals, Ankur has just begun, what will definitely be a very long journey in advertising industry. Vivek Kumar Singh, copywriter, with social issues close to his heart, chooses to use his mother tongue to make his messages penetrate the deeper parts of his land. Forever thinking of new ways to deliver messages which would help in uplifting his society, he is committed to high creative standards.

Civil Society Citizen KVP - Disabilities

Shanti Raghavan

Shanti Raghavan is the Founder and Managing Trustee of Enable India. Her first encounter with disability was when her brother became visually impaired. After his successful rehabilitation, she established Enable India with her husband to help people with disability live wholesome lives. Since then, she has “enabled” rehabilitation and employment opportunities for numerous people with disabilities, and aims at helping them to create an independent future for themselves.

Civil Society Citizen KVP - Wildlife Conservation

Nanda Rana

Nanda Rana runs Bandhavgar Jungle Camp, the first privately operated jungle safari in India. A wildlife enthusiast specializing in tigers, he spends most of his time in the forests, tracking, photographing and filming tigers. His work on conservation and films on tigers have been widely recognized and applauded. He has joined hands with National Geographic, Discovery, BBC, etc. in the past as a Wildlife Consultant.

Dr. Latika Nath Rana

Dr. Latika Nath Rana is one of India’s foremost experts on tigers, and the first woman to be awarded a doctorate in tiger conservation. She is deeply committed to the cause of the tigers. Dubbed “The Tiger Princess” by National Geographic, she works closely with her husband Nanda Rana in the forests of Kathmandu.