KVP Awardees 2010-11

Media Citizen KVP - Short Film Maker

Rahul Chittella

Rahul V Chittella is a filmmaker and media entrepreneur who has been active in the process of empowering the youth with media in Mumbai. He has also been active in the theatre sector of Mumbai. Rahul has recently completed directing and producing a short fiction film titled, 'Muted' which is based on the simple theme of how we as individuals in the society have forgotten the basics of being good humans. Rahul has worked as the Creative Director for MAM Movies, an international organization which seeks to use media for social issues and has been the producer of "I am That", a short documentary on the eunuch community of India. He was also the producer for the Seva Journals Project under which filmmakers make videos for non-profits at an economical amount of money and has directed videos on various NGOs like that for I Volunteers, Rang De, Centre for Development Finance (CDF) and USHA. Under MAM Movies, Rahul also conceived the SHE Creates Project in association with the UNDP where 25 girl school children from various walks of life, society, religion and culture were brought together to produce 5 short films on women issues made completely by themselves. This helped the girls to express themselves as individuals and taught them about the basics of life. Rahul recently finished working on projects with the United Nations at New York City and is currently actively involved with the Global Lives Project, India as its director and executive producer.

Media Citizen KVP - Music Videos

Manish Jain

Manish Jain is a writer and director, Films and Music Videos. He started his career with few short films like "A Story without a Title" and directing a documentary film "Just Rs 5" for an affiliate of London School of Economics. He is also a qualified editor and special effects compositor. He was assistant director to Mr. Sangeeth Sivan and Cannes award winner Manish Jha. Currently, Manish is writing 4 feature films. He has ventured into film production and started his film production company "Shot OK Motion Pictures". His most recent work was a music video "Azaad 26/11", an anti terrorism tribute to Mumbai that he directed & produced in collaboration with Subhash Ghai's company. This video stars some of the big names like Isha Koppikar, Celina Jaitley, Gul Panag, Jaaved Jaffery, Aushima Sawhney and Indian idol finalist Meenal Jain and was played on about 10 prime TV channels like Aaj Tak, Star News, CNN-IBN, Times Now, Headlines Today, etc on the anniversary of 26/11. This video got raved reviews from veteran Oscar winning Hollywood directors and had become a big rage even before the official release. His company believes in making innovative cinema and will soon be announcing 2 feature film projects and 3 music videos which he says will be very innovative.

Media Citizen KVP - Television

Shereen Bhan

Shereen Bhan is the Executive-Editor CNBC-TV18. She has been producing and anchoring CNBC-TV18's flagship shows like India Business Hour and Whats Hot. Through her shows such as Young Turks, Change Agents and The Heart of Business, she tries and focuses on social entrepreneurs who believe in the magic of changing lives and who are the real change agents for the society. She believes that social entrepreneurs have emerged with innovative solutions to society's most pressing social problems. Shereen feels that more than the government or public policy, it is the entrepreneurs who are going to change the face of India. Driven by passion and not profit, they are both visionaries and realists. They have taken on the mantle to question status quo rather than leaving societal needs to the government or business. She has tried to highlight the stories of champions of change, people who are making a difference for society. In future, Shereen plans to venture into the field of education and make a difference there.

Media Citizen KVP - Print Journalist

Syed Nazakat

Syed Nazakat is a journalist from the Kashmir valley currently based in Delhi. He holds a Master's degree in Journalism from Konrad Adenauer Asian Center of Journalism, Philippines. He is at present working with THE WEEK magazine as a Senior Correspondent and also is a member of its investigative team. He has extensively reported on politics, security, terrorism, developmental and human rights related issues like custodial killings, torture and abuse of power; India-Pakistan relations and peace process, Kashmir conflict and troubled Northeast region of India. He has also covered international affairs like political turmoil in Burma, Thailand, Pakistan and Nepal, the developmental issues in Laos and Cambodia, the war in Afghanistan, killings of Indians in Philippines and more recently he has reported from Australia on India-Australia strategic ties. He has been awarded the prestigious journalism award in India, the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award for a series of in-depth reports on South Asian earthquake in 2005. He has also been nominated as the finalist for the 2010 Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting in Geneva for his two powerful cover stories on "India's Secret Torture Chambers" and "Top Secret" on India's secret chain of Guantanamo-like prisoners and rendition program for kidnapping terrorism suspects. He continues his exceptional work and coverage of sensitive stories with courage and determination.

Anita Pratap

Anita Pratap was the South Asia Bureau Chief of CNN till January 1999. She covered all the major stories in the region including the nuclear tests, the ethnic war in Sri Lanka, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, conflicts in India's Kashmir and North East. She was the first television journalist to report from the 22,000 ft Siachen Glacier. Before joining CNN, she worked eight years as a correspondent for TIME magazine, covering stories in the region. Anita worked as a reporter for leading Indian magazine and newspapers including India Today, Sunday and the Indian Express. In addition to hardcore breaking news, she has consistently reported on issues such as population, education, health care, poverty, child, women, cultural and Historical issues. She has worked as an independent documentary film-maker, directing and scripting films on these issues. She has won the American George Polk Award in 1997; the Eminent Indian Award conferred by the Indo-American Society in 1997; won all three nominations in the television news category for the Pinnacle Award; won the Chameli Devi Jain Award in 1998 given to an "Outstanding Woman Media Person". She won a Lifetime Achievement award in 2007 and was honoured by her alma mater Miranda House for her "Outstanding contribution to the fields of international print, television and web journalism" in 2009. Her first book "Island of Blood", published by Penguin was an instant best-seller. Photographed by Mahesh Bhat and authored by her, their book UNSUNG, on people who have contributed to society against personal odds, was released in mid 2007. It has helped generate over Rs.6.5 million (USD130000.00) in aid to the causes of the Heroes featured in the book. UNSUNG has received rave reviews and made a great impact on the lives of the Heroes featured.

Media Citizen KVP - Photo journalist

Mahesh Bhat

Mahesh Bhat, a documentary and editorial photographer based out of Bangalore, has been commissioned by prestigious international periodicals and corporations from over 20 countries. His book UNSUNG co-authored with Anita Pratap, on people who have contributed to society against personal odds, was released in mid 2007. It has helped generate over Rs.6.5 million (USD130000.00) in aid to the causes of the Heroes featured in the book. He was awarded the Vocational Services Award from the Rotary Club for his work on UNSUNG. UNSUNG has received rave reviews and made a great impact on the lives of the Heroes featured.

Corporate Executive Citizen KVP

Venkat Changavalli

Venkat Changavalli is the Chief Executive Officer of GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), a not-for-profit organization with a vision to respond to 30 million emergencies and save 1 million lives annually. He is an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad and has done B.Tech (Chemical) from NIT, Warangal. Mr. Changavalli has made outstanding contribution in the field of Emergency Management Services, Public Health at national and international levels. Under his leadership, 108 services started in Hyderabad in August 2005. In less than 5 years, the service reached out to 9 states (400M population) with 2,600 ambulances. In these 5 years, GVK EMRI has responded to 10 Million emergencies and saved over 260,000 lives. His passion to contribute to the EM services in the nation has resulted in EMRI developing public health care infrastructure (EM Rooms in CHCs) and human resources (EM Training of Government doctors and nurses). His effort to ensure that Emergency Management & Care Services are given, free of cost, to every individual has been appreciated and written about by several leading national and international publications. His insights gained through experiential learning are now taken as recommendations in various other countries. Mr. Changavalli has received awards for his yeoman services including Pranadata Award, Microsoft Citizenship Partner of the Year Award, HEAL Leadership Award, AAEMI award for the Moral Courage Shown in Leading EMRI, to name a few.

Subha Rajan Tampi

Ms. Subha Rajan joined CII Confederation of Indian Industry in 1990. She was the first CEO of the OIFC (overseas Indian Facilitation Centre), jointly organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs Diaspora. She has been a part of the world economic forum and the India economic summit. Currently, she is the Director of CII and is involved in Counseling, CSR, Trade, Economic Promotion and Nation Building activities. She has spent most of her life living with and supporting the down trodden and under privileged all over the world. She has worked with the lepers in the only leper colony in the world in Liberia and also with the physically and mentally challenged in Africa's remote villages. In India, she has been with slum children and has specially worked for the interest of the girl child. She has travelled the entire length & breadth of India visiting remote schools in for away villages & interacting with women and children. She has also helped burnt girls to get plastic surgery. She also counsels inmates in Delhi Jails. She works for the promotion of India and has helped build the Indian Image abroad. Besides, she has been actively involved with circle of animal lovers and has helped sterilize stray dogs and help stray animals. She also takes interest in the environmental issues and has been a spokesperson for the issue of global warming.

Corporate CEO'S KVP

Lynn de Souza (2010-11)

Lynn de Souza is the chairman and CEO of Lintas Media Group. She is also a certified veterinary nurse trained in Australia, a master trainer for the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), and a life member of the Bombay SPCA(Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and of PFA Goa. She feels and stands strongly for animals and animal rights. She is a full time animal rights activist and also Chairperson and Managing Trustee of the Goa SPCA, which she set up on ancestral land owned by her and donated to the Central Government. Being an animal lover it is very painful for her to see the cruel and inhumane treatment and killing of animals, she works in her own small way to do what she can for all the lives she loves so much. She believes that, any relationship with animals and children is very real - there is no manipulation or second-guessing involved and that is very refreshing. In April 2003, she wrote a book titled 'It's A Dog's Life'. Lynn is also the Vice President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India and in this capacity, she is working hard towards achieving strong self regulation in the humane and fair treatment and depiction of animals in advertising and media content.

Civil Society KVP - Disability

Akhil Paul

Akhil Paul has been working extensively for the education and rehabilitation of deafblind people, people who have combination of vision as well as hearing difficulties. Armed with an education in social work and a specialization in working with people with multiple sensory impairments, he is the Director, Sense International (India) since 1997. Akhil was instrumental in setting up the organizations operations across India, planning strategy and financial systems, putting together a team, establishing systems of monitoring & evaluation, fundraising and reporting to funders. Akhil has played a pivotal role in making deafblind people (who can neither see, hear or speak) a known entity in the country. He took up the challenge when not even handful of people knew what deafblindness was and nurtured the movement to the extent that services increased from 1 in 1997 to 40 today in 19 states of the country. Today with the partner network, Sense International (India) is transforming lives of more than 37,000 deafblind people and ensuring their rightful inclusion in our society. Under Akhil's able leadership, Sense International (India) has become a synonym for deafblindness and has created networks of teachers; deafblind adults and their families. Akhil has succeeded in creating a dedicated team to ensure that deafblind people are 'seen & heard'. Previously, he was the Senior Projects Coordinator at the National Association for the Blind. He has also received the prestigious HSBC-Indo British Award- 2003 for outstanding services to deaf-blind people. His service to the differently-abled extends to writing for them - Akhil has contributed several chapters to various books and manuals for their education and rehabilitation, presented papers and articles at national and international conferences and co-authored the Manual on Community based Rehabilitation for the Blind People's Association, Ahmedabad.