Together as one we can right every wrong
Honouring the Power of Few and Recognising the Power of ONE
Lakshmi V. Venkatesan
Ms. Lakshmi Venkatesan founded Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), with the objective of fostering entrepreneurship among the under-privileged youth who lack resources to start their own ventures, in spite of having adequate knowledge. She brought in the concept of mentoring of the first generation young entrepreneurs and modified it in Indian context. BYST's successful partnerships with the corporate sector, government agencies and the NGOs have made it as a unique and successful tri-lateral partnership in India. BYST provides twin assistance of money and mentoring along with a whole range of other business development services to young entrepreneurs, turning job seekers into job creators, which is the need for the economic environment in India. BYST has empowered a number of women, people from ethnic minorities as well as the physically challenged people. BYST has created a model for corporate executives to accept their social responsibility and participate voluntarily in the process of nation building.Lifelong Fight for Social Justice through Citizen Action KVP
Dr. Chandrakant Puri
Dr. Chandrakant Puri is a professor cum director of the Centre for study of social exclusion & inclusive policy. He completed his MSW and Ph. D. in Rural Development (in the areas of tribal development) and started working with primitive tribal people in Maharashtra in the year 1992. He has implemented various developmental projects including the Self-Help Housing project which was nominated for the World Habitat Award in 1995. The entire project completely transformed 2 tribal hamlets, forming 36 youth and mahila mandals and developing leadership through training programs. Dr. Puri coordinated a Baseline Socio-Economic Survey & Plain Table survey of 8000 families under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project -II to be affected by the transport project, which became basis for the Resettlement & Rehabilitation Policy for Urban Poor that was sponsored by the World Bank. He has developed the curriculum for MA in Social Exclusion & Inclusive Policy and NGO Management focusing on the field work intervention and continues his field intervention and research with tribal. He has been awarded prestigious Asiatic Post Doctoral Fellowship for the research "National Draft Policy of Tribals". His work with prisoners of Ratnagiri Special Prison resulted in Mumbai University awarding him the Gold Medal in the year 1989-90. He has travelled worldwide to present his research and work with tribal communities. His dream is to see that all tribal's in the state of Maharashtra live with dignity.Lifelong fight for Social Justice through Citizen Action KVP
Sumithra Prasad
Sumithra Prasad has dedicated her life to selfless social service despite facing seemingly insurmountable personal challenges. The General Secretary of Dorai Foundation, an NGO, she has extensively worked on several issue based projects ranging from Advocacy, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Child Labor, Individuals with HIV, People with Development disabilities, Leprosy, Domestic Violence, Female infanticide, Inclusion, Mental Health, Multiple Intelligences, Rehabilitation of commercial sex workers, Rural empowerment, Self Advocacy and Transgender assimilation. She conducts capacity building programs, leadership initiatives, motivational workshops, de-addiction camps and community based rehabilitation projects. She has positively influenced parents of children with special needs through counseling, mentors youth in the areas of personality development and social sensitization. A profound Media Activist, she has written and directed over 50 documentary films on various social issues to create awareness, disseminate information and propagate change. Her work has been recognized by the Government of Uttar Pradesh - Lakshman Mela, Sun Dance Film Festival, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, National Confederation of Parents Association and the National Trust. She is also the recipient of Sadguru Gnananda Award for promotion of social service consciousness and Sewa Jyothi - Award of Honor for the extensive community work done in Punjab.Government Citizen KVP
Dr. Manoj Sharma
Dr. Manoj Sharma is currently a Professor of Radiotherapy in Maulana Azad Medical College. He has worked arduously to help reduce the misery and suffering of the late stage cancer patients in hospitals and has contributed greatly to clinical cancer research. He has moved people and organizations, institutions and individuals to spread cancer awareness messages throughout the country on a regular basis through media. He aims to create awareness in large section of people especially from the illiterate class, to get the affected people to the cancer treatment in early stages so that cancer can be cured and to get more cancer treatment centres. He has been writing in news papers, lecturing in the social clubs of schools and colleges, has written several books and done their distribution, along with pamphlets, with the help of various NGOs, friends, Rotary and LION for bringing out cancer awareness. Through this, he has been able to include cancer in National Rural Health Mission. He is an advisor to the Govenment of NCT of Delhi for its Cancer Control Programme.Global Citizen KVP
Abha Singh
Abha Singh is presently working as the Director Postal Services, Maharashtra and Goa, overlooking administration of more than thousands of Post Offices, departmental employees and GDS employees. She runs an NGO called "Rannsamar" through which she provides legal assistance to the slum dwellers and other needy people who are fighting against injustice in the society. She has also been making efforts to provide alternate sources of energy by putting solar panels in Post Offices to run computers in rural areas. She has taken special initiatives to appoint women for delivering post in Uttar Pradesh. She has been trying to bring attitudinal and behavioral change and has helped in improving the perception of the government in the eyes of the public. She believes that if the mechanism of governance becomes free from corruption and attitudinal elements; it can promote the cause of social justice in the most optimum manner, which shall be comprehensive in its coverage and scope. She was the only women to reach the Lead India Finals and was awarded a leadership course at London School of Economics. She is also assisted her husband Mr. Y.P. Singh in directing a film titled 'Kya Yahi Sach Hai - Is this the Truth' to invoke emotions of the dishonest, once they see the gory effect corruption can have on the system.Government Citizen KVP-Armed Force
Major General Ian Cardozo
Major General Ian Cardozo was born in Mumbai and studied at St. Xavier's School and College. He subsequently joined the National Defence Academy Khadakvasla. He was wounded in the battle of Sylhet due to a mine blast & had to cut off his own leg due to his unit's medical facilities being destroyed by enemy artillery. He was fitted with an artificial leg at the Artificial Limb Centre, Pune and decided to make himself physically as fit as non-disabled officers and was the first war-disabled officer to command an infantry brigade and subsequently an Infantry Division, both in J&K. He is credited as being the officer who opened up promotion for war disabled officers to do courses, to be promoted and to command formations in peace and field. On retirement from the Army, he joined an NGO that worked for disabled children and also the Disabled Rights Group that campaigned for the rights of disabled persons. After seven years of work with the Spastics Society of Northern India he was appointed as the Chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India where he serves till date. He swims regularly and has won several gold, silver and bronze medals in national swimming competitions for the disabled. He is also on the Council of the United Service Institution of India and the Board of Action for Ability, Development and Inclusion, an NGO that works for the development of the disabled of India.Media Citizen KVP - Documentary Maker
Vijay S. Jodha
Vijay Jodha has been working as a writer, photographer and film maker for more than 2 decades. A renowned personality, he has worked with eminent film makers like Ang Lee and Mira Nair and organizations like Smithsonian, Discovery, MTV, Doordarshan, CBS and PBS. The manner in which he has devoted himself to social service is truly inspiring - having covered issues like environment, culture, communal harmony and the empowerment of the marginalized. Vijay has written, scripted and even funded award winning films like Inner Vision, The Weeping Apple Tree, Pedalling to Freedom, Forest of Hope and Speaking with Light. He also worked on Jana Swasthya Sahayog, a 22 film project to spread the message of health care and hygiene. Ageless Mind and Spirit- a social communication project, Widowhood in South Asia-a photography exhibition and Tiranga - A celebration of the Indian Flag a photo project, have been appreciated globally. Vijay has also volunteered as a writer and researcher towards building Sanskriti Pratishthan, the very first international artist retreat of India.Filmbooth - iCONGO media KVP
Rintu Thomas
Rintu Thomas is a filmmaker who completed her Masters in Mass Communication from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia University. Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh run an independent media outfit - Black Ticket Films - and have produced & directed award-winning films. Their movie 'In Search of My Home' which explored the lives of refugees living in the capital city of the largest democracy of the world received the best film award & the best director award at The Short & Documentary Film festival of Hyderabad in 2010. They produced films like 'The Miracle Water Village', 'Flying Inside My Body', 'Children of the Night', 'Bullets & Butterflies' which highlighted issues relating to climate change, gender & HIV AIDS, lives of handicapped street children and disability. Their films have been screened in film festivals across the world and also premiered on global television networks like the National Geographic Channel and NDTV. They also conduct film appreciation and filmmaking workshops for young adults in various educational institutions in Delhi. Some of their films are also being used as an advocacy tool by various NGOs working with street children in France, Germany, Italy and India.Sushmit Ghosh
