LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
SMT. NIRMALA NARULA
Smt.Nirmala Narula is currently the President of Alzheimer's and Related Disorders
Society of India. She has been a socially responsible person, symbolizing her actions
as a citizen with Social Justice now for over four and a half decades. In her lifetime
she has pioneered various causes touching all spheres of the social fabrics viz., the
children, women, youth and now working concertedly focused on Alzheimer’s and
other form of dementia falling into the ambit of Elderly care. She gave a whole new
meaning to the old adage ‘Charity begins at home’ when she opened a ‘neighborhood
school’ for the underprivileged children in her own house. In spite of the many
roadblocks in her path, she managed to bring state of the art hospital facilities not
only to India but Bangladesh and Nepal as well. Smt.Narula is at present deeply
involved with opening the Center in Delhi for people with early Alzheimer’s, to bring
respite/relief to family members for a few hours in a day. Smt.Narula has received
well deserved achievement and awards over the years and she continues to serve
society through ARDSI.
LIFELONG FIGHT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE KARMAVEER PURASKAAR,
2009
VIRENDAR MOHAN TREHAN
A multifaceted personality, Mr. Virendar Mohan Trehan has devoted much of his
time to propagate the cause of science and technology, telecommunications and social
harmony in the country. Being a social scientist, the welfare of society has always
been his utmost priority. To promote the spirit of fraternity, amity, peace and
harmony throughout the world, Mr. Trehan founded Foundation for Amity & National
Solidarity (FANS). The objective of his organization has been to promote friendship
and harmony amongst all Indians and with his diverse endeavors, he has been
successful in achieving the same. Through FANS, he has been able to raise
scholarships in kind, for the underprivileged children to help them with their studies.
He has also been associated with several NGOs like Hindustani Panchayat Sangathan
(HPS), All India Satsang Mandal, Archana Punarvas Kendra (established by FANS);
be it as a member or founder. In recognition of his spirit of entrepreneurship and
contribution in the field of telecom technology, popularizing science and propagating
national integration and social harmony, several awards and honours have been
conferred upon Mr. Trehan, latest being the prestigious Award of Presidential Gold
Medal presented to him by the Indian Science Congress Association on January 3,
2008 at Visakhapatnam by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh for
propagating the message of Amity, Peace and Harmony for the entire fraternity and
for being a Social Scientist par excellence LIFELONG
LIFELONG FIGHT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE KARMAVEER PURASKAAR,
2009
SUBHASHINI MISTRY
Subhashini Mistry, a vegetable vendor, is a window who struggled for survival and
for providing a good education to her children after her husband died due to lack of
adequate treatment. The tragedy did not dampen her but drove her to make her son a
doctor and start a humanity hospital. Her hospital’s objective is to ensure healthcare
for the poor and that nobody should die because of lack of money for medical issues.
Almost 75 per cent of the patients are treated free and rest are charged according to
their economic status, that too between Rs 5 and Rs 2. Subhashini realized the
significance of health and contributed her life for this cause voluntarily.
GLOBAL CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
JITMAN BASNET
Jit Man Basnet is a prominent Human Rights activist in Nepal. He is presently
working for Lawyers Forum for Human Rights as their General Secretary. Mr.Jit Man
Basnet has never hesitated in even putting his life at risk for his work. He was
abducted by Maoists in 2002 and arrested by Royal Nepal Army in 2004 but that was
never a hindrance to what he believes in and works for. He has continuously worked
towards creating awareness about human rights and civil rights and has always stood
and raised his voice against social injustice. In his campaign against impunity and for
justice, he even went on Hunger Strike for victims. He believes that social justice is
for human beings and that it is our responsibility to preserve justice in the society.
GLOBAL CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
CLAUDIA CIESLA
Claudia Ciesla is a German supermodel who has featured as a face for big names like
Mercedes, CULT Magazine (Italy), Oktoberfest Munich, Times of India, The
Telegraph (India) and many others. She certainly believes in multi tasking as she
possesses various talents like singing, dancing, sports, athletics, music and martial
arts. She was awarded the Brand Ambassadorship of Lovely Professional University.
Apart from being a successful model, she is a person with a humane heart, who feels
very strongly about social causes. Claudia is majorly supports Khushii (Kinship for
Humanitarian, Social and Holistic Intervention in India), which is a national
organization working for the enlistment of poor and destitute communities in both
rural and urban areas in India.
GLOBAL CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
PRINCESS FRANCOISE
Her highness, Princess Francoise is currently the CEO for the Heart for India
Foundation – a foundation that feeds 1300 children everyday at a school for the poor
at Namangalam, close to Chennai. The work at Namangalam School has progressed,
with many projects and its success has seen it officially listed by the Government of
Tamil Nadu as a “Model School” for India. Not just this, Namangalam School has
now become an inspiration for the other schools of similar nature. From providing the
basic amenities to children to improve their education standards, her organization has
constantly worked towards supporting them. She has devised numerous charity
projects under her Association of the friends of Romania that provides housing
facilities for the orphaned and elderly. Along with her husband, she is now working
towards supporting her charity and creative projects involving films, music and
television.
GLOBAL CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
LINDSAY LEVIN
Lindsay is founder and Managing Partner of Leaders' Quest and founder and Trustee
of the Leaders’ Quest Foundation. Lindsay's long-standing interest in the impact of
inspirational leadership, combined with her passion for development issues and for
bringing together leaders from different disciplines and perspectives, led her to found
Leaders' Quest in 2001. This foundation has a core mission to act as a catalyst for
positive change in the world by inspiring, developing and connecting leaders who
want to make a difference in their organisations, communities and the wider world.
By working at grassroots level with global leaders, she endeavors to enable positive
change in disadvantaged communities through innovative, transformative and actionoriented leadership development programmes. It exists to improve the quality of
leadership and the way in which leaders have impact. Lindsay has a keen interest in
international development; she is an active supporter of several NGOs including
Oxfam, Action aid and a number of Community Based Organizations in Asia and
Africa. Lindsay is also a Trustee of NEF (the New Economics Foundation) a “thinkand-do tank” working on issues of social justice, environmental sustainability and
collective well-being.
GLOBAL INDIAN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
KAYZAD NAMDARIAN
Kayzad Namdarian’s story is both of exposure and donation towards action. He led an
effort to expose a new-tech, new age approach to Civil Action through the Internet by
starting an online Internet group. He has actively worked for various causes like
World Hunger, notably Child Hunger, and has constantly been involved in spreading
awareness about special charity websites. His efforts have been successful in igniting
world’s sympathy towards the cause of Hunger in a new way and this is evident from
the big charity contributions that have been a result of his work. Working with a
mantra of ‘being aware, spreading awareness and then undertaking action’, he has
helped people FEEL and done as much good for the society as he possibly can.
GLOBAL INDIAN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
MALLIKA DUTT
Mallika Dutt has been a pioneer in the field of human rights for more than two
decades. She has worked tirelessly to reduce global pandemics like violence against
women and HIV/AIDS, and to remove obstacles to women’s full participation in
society from the grassroots level to UN global public policy. While women’s rights
have been a primary focus of her work, Mallika has also been at the forefront of
advocating for immigrant rights, racial justice, and religion and peace, particularly in
the aftermath of September 11th. For the last decade, Mallika’s commitment to
advancing human rights has been implemented through her creative and visionary
leadership of a new kind of non-profit organization, Breakthrough: building human
rights culture, which she launched in 2000 with the path-breaking album and music
video, Mann ke Manjeere, an album of women’s dreams. . In keeping with Mallika’s
vision that men and women must be joint partners to end the pandemic of genderbased violence, Breakthrough’s Bell Bajao campaign calls on men and boys to take
proactive action to intervene in situations of domestic violence. Mallika believes that
an effective human rights approach is needed to uplift the voices of those who are
marginalized and abused, and simultaneously involve all sectors of society to find
meaningful solutions for lasting change.
REAL WEALTH CREATORS FOR THE COMMUNITIES
KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
SIVA COTIPALLI
DhanaX was co- founded by Siva Cotipalli in 2007, along with the team of zealous
and extremely competent financial experts. After graduating from BITS-Pilani and
IIM-Kozhikode and working for five years, Siva wanted to build a business that
would benefit millions of poor Indians, and thus came up with the idea of DhanaX.
He strongly believes that doing well and doing good need not be conflicting
objectives. In a country like India, with wide, unequal distribution of wealth, Siva has
built a unique platform for the “haves” of India to help “have-nots” without getting
involved in charities. DhanaX is a social lending site that matches lenders with
investable savings and low-income borrowers who have no access to initial capital for
their enterprises. Nevertheless, the project is a for-profit social enterprise and not a
non- profit organisation. Dhanax encourages people to repay loans and not to fall in
the vicious circle of debts.
GOVERNMENT CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
IPS OFFICER
D R KAARTHIKEYAN
An Agriculturist turned lawyer-turned IPS officer, Dr. Kaarthikeyan served the nation
with great distinction in many capacities in India and abroad. He has been Director of
CBI, Director General of NHRC and CRPF. Presently he holds important positions in
many sectors, be it corporate, social or spiritual organisations. He has been traveling
all over India and abroad promoting Peace, Religious Harmony, Spirituality, Human
Rights and respect for Environment. His work to society has been widely recognized
over time and there is an endless list of honours conferred upon him for the same. A
few important awards to his credit are-the ‘Humanitarian Award’ from the Integral
Yoga International, USA for outstanding achievement in service to humanity; “For
the Sake of Honour” by the Rotary Clubs; Rajiv Gandhi Award for Harmony by the
Interfaith Harmony of India, Atma Jyothi by the World Academy of Spiritual
Sciences; Jewel of Delhi by the All India Conference of Intellectuals; President’s
Medal for Distinguished Service and many more by various civil society
organisations. He has a successful track record to date and is widely respected for his
commitment and quality of service in various spheres in various fields of activity.
GOVERNMENT CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
PANCHAYATI RAJ
VIJAYTAI PRABHAKAR PATIL
A dynamic and inspiring personality, Vijaytai Prabhakar Patil, is the name behind the
success of Vadgaon Budruk Gram Panchayat. Vadgaon Budruk gram panchayat has
won various taluka, district, division and state level awards in the field of forestry,
health, sanitation and education. It has stood out as a leader amongst the 28000 odd
other panchayats of Maharashtra. This panchayat has revamped the entire face of the
village, converting dusty roads to concretes, equipping the village with solar energy,
providing healthy sanitation and proper education at school level. All this has been
made possible by the leadership of Vijaytai Prabhakar Patil who has transcended all
boundaries of caste, gender, religion and age to bring about this spectacular change.
She has stood strong constantly as a motivation for all the villagers to bring about this
change.
ARTISTES 4 CHANGE KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
MUSIC- Singer
D J NARAIN
"Presently the front person and lead singer cum composer of one of India’s biggest
Pop & Rock Band ‘The Aryans’, Dhamendra Jai Narain, popularly known as DJ
Narain, has 5 successful albums , more than 800 concerts and numerous awards to his
credit. Through his meaningful music, Narain has reached out to millions of Indians,
especially the youth over the last decade. A youth & rock icon, he has also been a
notable Civil Services officer and a professor of Mass Communication at the elite
Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. He is perhaps the only person in
India who can be dubbed as rockstar and civil servant simultaneously. A brilliant
scholar throughout, Narain has been recipient of perhaps every single academic
scholarship which Government had to offer. A keen student of economics as well, Mr
Narain has also been a lecturer of Monetery Economics in Lucknow University, prior
to joining the civil services and making it big as Aryans. A multifaceted
personality, DJ Narain is one of the founders of Kshitij, an NGO in the field of non-
formal education and universal health campaigns for over 7 years . He has always
been very supportive of any initiatives taken in the field of literacy and shown active
involvement in launching Universal Literacy campaigns in Andhra Pradesh and
Himachal Pradesh. In Delhi, he is actively supporting the cause of several NGO's to
help raise awareness about their key domain issues. His book ‘Soldiering On’ is an
anthology of the saga of Indian Armed forces during the last 100 years and has been
widely reviewed and appreciated by the media".
ART CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
ART ENTREPRENEUR
ISHA SINGH
With over 18 years of work experience in cross-cultural global environment, Isha
Singh has been successfully able to combine her passion for arts with her compassion
for the unprivileged. A firm believer of giving back to the society, she has created Art
Laureate, an art gallery that provides a platform for those artists who have not been
fortunate enough to showcase their talent. She is an active volunteer for Literacy
India, a registered NGO and has participated in various fundraising programs for
them. Environment protection and drive against Corruption are the other two issues
that she has been passionately working for. Her contribution to society has crossed
national boundaries as she has extended her help to children in New Jersey and
Bahrain. She has also been involved with the Standard Chartered Bank (Abu Dhabi),
The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and PNC Bank (New Jersey).
ART CITIZENS KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
VISUAL ARTIST
RITAM BANERJEE
Ritam Banerjee is a professional photographer and it is his passion for his profession
that gives his photography a whole new meaning. Photography, he says, is still about
making positives out of negatives and when the going gets tough he uses his pictures
brilliantly to bring the brighter side of life into focus. ‘A picture speaks a thousand
words’ is not a cliché for him. He strongly believes that images are powerful tools of
communication and he uses the lens to the best of his ability to illustrate how one can
make a change rather than just complain. Be it the much hyped Slumdog Millionaire
or the sensitive issues like 26\11 terror attacks, he makes sure that his pictures get
across to the world what he perceives through his lens. Interestingly, he likes to see
the glass half full as he believes that hope is the foundation of justice. He has big
names like Citigroup, Deloitte, Microsoft, TATA Steel, Jet Airways etc. and now the
‘Incredible India’ campaign to his credit. Mr.Ritam shares his passion and knowledge
with students at various colleges like Fergusson College, Symbiosis College, SIES
College and has provided them with a platform to enhance their skills with
equipments that were missing during his formative years.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
DISABILITY
ANJLEE AGARWAL
Anjlee Agarwal, Founder & Executive Director of Samarthyam is involved in
disseminating Accessibility Awareness through a novel model which primarily
focuses on enabling inclusion of persons with disabilities to access education,
tourism, transportation and environment, devoid of any hindrance. Learning from
painful struggles and social stigma Anjlee, a disabled Activist and Access Consultant,
realized that most of the tourist sites lacks accessibility for disabled and the elderly.
She has been catalyst in re-designing the infrastructure set up of Dilli Haat, Delhi
Metro Stations, Bus Rapid Transit System, Bus stops and many more public places to
make them more users friendly and universally accessible. Furthermore, she is
striving hard to get persons with disabilities recognized in the mainstream society by
empowering them on disability issues and taking up research projects on Right of
Way, Pedestrian infrastructure and Transit systems. As Master Trainer, she continues
her work with to sensitize public & stake holders; capacity building of community
and bring a wave of celebration in the human race which crosses the boundaries of
differences.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
DISABILITY
SANJEEV SACHDEVA
Honorary Founder and Project Director of Samarthyam, Mr, Sanjeev Sachdeva has
been working for the disabled with utmost sincerity. He is presently working on
various projects to promote barrier free environment for disabled persons. Since 1996,
he has successfully organized more than 60 tours for persons with sever disabilities
promoting the concept of Barrier-Free Tourism. In Samarthyam, he has been actively
involved with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation thereby promoting a user-friendly
system for all. He has been responsible for organizing several workshops and
conferences and has been successful over time in spreading awareness and gathering
much needed attention towards the issue of accessibility.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
HIV
DR. CHINKHOLAL THANGSING
Dr.Chinkholal Thangsing is currently the Asia Pacific Chief for AIDS Healthcare
Foundation and heads programs in India, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Vietnam and
Nepal. He is a clinician, an activist and a management expert who has been dedicated
to his work in the field of HIVAIDS since 1990. He has dedicated his career, personal
life and resources to the fight against HIV/AIDS and has contributed to the treatment
of over 15000 patients in India and Asia region. With over 25 years of medical
experience, he has been successful in providing treatment consultations, conducting
training workshops, spreading awareness on HIV management, sensitization and
education of healthcare professionals, provision of ARVs drugs to people living with
HIV\AIDS. An excellent communicator, he has immense flair and faith in the quality
work that he does
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
HEALTH
DR. K SRINATH REDDY
Dr. K Srinath Reddy is presently the President of the Public Health Foundation of
India. He has shown exemplary social commitment in advancing public health on
many fronts by enhancing health awareness among youth through innovative
programs like HRIDAY-SHAN, spearheading national and global movements for
tobacco control, conducting worksite based on health promotion programs across
India, assisting National Human Rights Commission of India in advancing health as a
human right and finally establishing the Public Health Foundation of India. Through
his dedication and hard work, he desires to bring about a revolution in our country’s
overall health response.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
EDUCATION
MANJU BHARATRAM
Mrs. Bharat Ram is the Founder and Chairperson of the innovative Shri Ram Schools
in India, which started with the objective of developing each student’s potential to the
fullest by giving equal emphasis to academics with cultural and social activities. She
is also the Chairperson of Educare, a non-profit consultancy working to transform
school education by incorporating relevant competencies for the future, through
workshops, seminars to name a few. Mrs. Bharat Ram has also been working for
children with disabilities and the blind for over forty years now. She has been
involved in fund raising, planning and vocational training for the underprivileged
children. She is currently on the board of LEAD International – a global organization
committed to Sustainable Development through capacity building and issue-oriented
action projects. Her diverse efforts for so long have been duly recognized and
appreciated over the length and breadth of our country.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
EDUCATION, HEALTH AND EMPOWERMENT
MAMOON AKHTAR
Mamoon Akhtar is the Founder-Secretary of Samaritan Help Mission, a voluntary,
non-profit organization located in Tikiapara, one of the worst slums of Howrah. SHM
is committed for the empowerment of poor children and women through education,
vocational training, and spreading health awareness through its health centre and by
providing micro-finance to needy women and turning them into small scale
entrepreneurs. His mantra in life is to ‘Never, Never, Never Give up’ and he firmly
believes that change will come and he constantly works towards it. He has been
actively involved in trying to bring a change in the Muslim community through
education and empowerment. His objective is to infuse nationalistic feeling in the
children from Childhood through education. Mamoon is a true nationalist and
humanist and has been trying his best to bring the Muslim community in the main
stream of national progress. He has politely but firmly turned down the offers of help
exclusively for the education or welfare of the Muslim children. All SHM projects are
open to all community and religions and no distinction is made on the basis of caste,
community or religion. Promoting women empowerment by boosting their earning
capacity and economic independence and family planning are the other two issues he
has been passionately working for. He has been featured in the most prominent
English Newspaper of India viz. Times of India on 25th December 2005 in the special
report entitled “India’s Idols - Uncommon Heroes: Legends In Our Midst”. He is one
of the six heroes selected from all over India.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
GEETA SESHAMANI
Co – Founder of Wildlife SOS, an NGO and Vice-President of Friendicoes SECA
(Society for Eradication of Cruelty to Animals), Geeta Seshamani believes that we
must do all we can to protect and conserve the rich array of wildlife, which calls the
habitats of India its home. She has been deeply involved with animal welfare and
wildlife conservation for over thirty years. Her efforts towards her cause have been
well appreciated and successful over the length and breadth of the country. Through
her organizations, she has established the first Stray Animal Birth control centre,
organized several animal welfare-training programs across India and established
various sanctuaries, facilities and centres in collaboration with the state governments
and forest departments. Her work also serves to uplift people, giving them
opportunities they may never otherwise have known. Be it the tongawallas, or the
Kalandars and saperas, Mrs. Geeta Seshamani has constantly tried to generate income
for them by the intervention of free education, free veterinary services and
opportunities to earn better. It is her passion for her cause that has successfully been
able to convert men from hardcore poachers to extremely caring people, when it
comes to Wildlife, by teaching them how to handle animals delicately and carefully.
With over thirty years of her involvement for her cause, it is safe to say that her work
has inspired others to follow the path of peaceful co-existence.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
KARTICK SATYANARAYAN
Mr.Kartick Satyanarayan is the co-founder of Wildlife SOS and a partner at
Friendicoes SECA (Society for Eradication of Cruelty to Animals). According to him,
protecting, helping and conserving wildlife in India must be prioritized as humans and
animals must co-exist. It is because of this that his work symbolizes “social justice
and citizen action”. An interesting work to his credit is that of convincing the
Kalandars (a tribe) to give up poaching of bear cubs from the wild in exchange of
providing their children with free education and providing them with an alternative
livelihood. His organization constantly fights poaching through a network of
informers across the country. While Mr.Kartick’s and his organization’s primary
focus is animals and wildlife, they also work to serve and uplift people, giving then
opportunities they may never have known otherwise. Despite the major skepticism
that he faces at every step, he leaves no stone unturned to make his efforts
worthwhile.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
PEACE AND HARMONY
ARMANDO GONSALVES
Mr.Armando Gonsalves is presently the owner of Heritage Jazz, Trancemedia,
Armando Gonsalves & Associates and the Chairman of Spirit of Goa Charitable
Trust. Through Heritage Jazz shows he has conducted several fundraising programs
for Tsunami victims, National Association for the Blind, orphanages and various
NGO’s in Goa. He is closely involved with the Heritage field especially towards
bringing more attention to the heritage homes in Goa, many of which are in a state of
ruin. For this, he has personally forfeited business profits to ensure that this heritage
continues. Environment protection and fund raising for musicians and sportsmen are
the other areas that he has been deeply involved with. He has been continuously
involved with taking music and quality education to schools via various workshops.
Through his Spirit of Goa organization, he organized a peace concert and several
candle light vigils post the 26\11 terror attacks in Mumbai – all of which revolved
around the common agenda of Peace.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
FUNDRAISING
NOSHIR DADRAWALA
Mr.Noshir is presently the CEO of the Mumbai based Centre for Advancement of
Philanthropy and has been involved in this field for nearly a quarter of a century,
building capacity for the voluntary sector across the country through training
programs, consultancy service (mostly pro bono), writing and publishing useful
resource books and enabling the growth of philanthropy by promoting research,
networks and healthy partnerships across all sectors. He exploited the hidden potential
and good intentions of the voluntary sector and provided it with professionalism and
management skills to operate in a manner that could prove accountable, transparent
and within the framework of the complex charity laws in this country. Mr.Noshir has
also been involved in conducting various capacity building workshops across the
country. He is trustee of Charities Aid Foundation (India), Resource Alliance (India),
India Sponsorship Committee, Make A Wish Foundation (India), Chronic Care
Foundation, Forbes Foundation and the Bombay Parsi Panchayat.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
COMMUNITY WELFARE
ANOURADHA BAKSHI
Anouradha Goburdhun Bakshi shunned all the luxuries of the world to hear the voice
of her conscious which was asking her to answer the WHY within. A Baccalaureate
from the University of Grenoble, she is working as a selfless spirit to unlock the
floodgates to provide dignity to the underprivileged ones. She founded the Sri Ram
Goburdhun Charitable Trust in 1998 and began its activities in the year 2000 in the
slums of Giri Nagar, South Delhi to uplift the urban slum communities. Her Project
WHY, which started with spoken English classes to just 40 slum kids, today, reaches
out more than 800 children and has transformed the lives of many. Three early
education programmes, one day care for 22 children and young adults with
disabilities, primary and secondary school and other vocation programmes for women
and differently- abled children brings in a true core of her fight to strengthen the
poverty wounded segment in the social order. The alumni of her project, who are now
able to sustain a better living, are the testimony of her conviction, contribution and
care to the society.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
COMMUNITY WELFARE
K.C.MALICK
Khirod Chandra Malick is the CEO of BISWA, a voluntary organisation dedicated to
develop the communities, Tribal, Dalits and small artisans. It is committed to create
immense opportunities of growth and overall progress in the most holistic structure.
Poverty reduction through alternate sustainable livelihood measures, spreading
awareness regarding micro- finances schemes, equal wage for women as of men are
some of the biggest objectives of BISWA’s existence. Mr.Malick has been
instrumental in the successful conceptualization and implementation of programmes
in the areas of education, health, micro- enterprise, Net- working, sanitation, Natural
Resource Management and many more. His efforts in sketching the new horizon for
the unprivileged classes in the state of Orissa cannot be overlooked.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION AND CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST
SHARAD SHARMA
Sharad Sharma is currently a Delhi based free-lance cartoonist and comics’ trainer.
He is the founder and current Secretary General of World Comics India, an
organization which promotes comics as a communication tool in remote and difficult
areas. His endeavor has been to reflect, through his work, various current social issues
that require attention. His work has been appreciated both nationally and
internationally. Mr. Sharma was awarded an Ashoka Fellowship in 2005 for
introducing Grassroots Comics as a socially innovative development communication
tool and Real Heroes Award-2008 instituted by CNN IBN. Most of his comic
workshops have been organized for activists working in NGOs and involved with
various movements. Some of the issues that he has worked for are Human Rights,
Children’s Rights, Farmer’s Issues, Youth Issues, The Disabled and Tribal’s Rights to
name a few. His cartoon strip Developmentoon deals with the issue of development.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP\TRANFORMATION
EMMANUEL UPPUTURU
Emmanuel Upputuru is currently the National Creative Director of Publicis India. He
has been in the advertising industry for around fifteen years now. However one genre
that has always been close to his heart is the social sector. And throughout his career
he has developed pro-bono campaigns for clients like Sambhavna Trust that was
founded for Bhopal Gas Tragic victims, National Association for the Blind and
Action Aid campaign for the marginalized sections of the society and an awardwinning domestic violence campaign for Breakthrough. It is through his
communication skills, that he has been promoting citizen action. Lately this has been
done through his ‘Let Gandhi Talk’ campaign for ‘In Gandhi’s Shoes’ project. He
believes that connecting people to Gandhi’s example of nonviolent leadership is the
best way to promote citizen action, as it provides a more accessible model of
leadership and change that is open to all. This campaign has not only started a new
conversation around Gandhi in schools and colleges but also won laurels at Cannes
Award Festivals – the Oscars of advertising. He believes that it is important to inspire
young people to explore options of nonviolent change and leadership to build a better
world around us.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP\TRANFORMATION
SHAILENDRA UNIYAL
Shailendra Uniyal has worked as an advertising copywriter, documentary filmmaker,
television producer and program manager for the cricket for peace project. It is
through his communication skills, that he has been promoting citizen action lately.
This has been done through the ‘Let Gandhi Talk’ campaign and ‘In Gandhi’s Shoes’
project. Mr.Shailendra believes that connecting people to Gandhi’s example of
nonviolent leadership is the best way to promote citizen action as it provides a more
accessible model of leadership and change that is open to all. This campaign has not
only started a new conversation around Gandhi in schools and colleges but also won
laurels at Cannes Award Festivals – the Oscars of advertising. He believes that it is
indeed important to inspire young people to explore options of nonviolent change and
leadership to build a better world around us.
CIVIL SOCIETY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
RESPONSIBLE AND INVOLVED PHILANTHROPY
ROHINI NILEKANI
Ms. Rohini Nilekani is the Founder-Chairperson of ARGHYAM, a charitable trust
that supports endeavours in equity in access to water for all. She is also the Founder
Chairperson of Pratham Books, which seeks to democratize the joy of reading for
children. With 175 titles in up to 10 languages, Pratham Books has reached good
books to millions of children. She is one of India’s “New Philanthropists”. Rohini was
also Chairperson, Akshara Foundation which works in elementary education in
Karnataka. She also sits on the boards of many non-profit organizations and funds
work in education, health, the environment, microfinance etc. Last, but not the least,
she has also received various laurels as a recognition of her credible work towards the
society. Forbes Asia named her as one among 48 Heroes of Philanthropy in 2008 and
2009. Rohini believes it is a responsibility of the wealthy to play a role in reducing the
inequity’s of the society and is always looking for ways to give back and give
forward.
COMMUNAL HARMONY KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
SHRI IDRIS NIZAMI
Sh. Idris Nizami is a well known singer, lyricist and music director. He has conducted
over 600 musical programmes many of these to bring about a feeling of love and
brotherhood and communal harmony at various places in Maharashtra and other
states. He is responsible for organizing most of these programmes either on his own
or on behalf of his organisation Bhartiya Hindu Muslim Sikh Isai Ekta Samiti. Shri
Idris Nizami has been participating in the efforts of the Government to establish
communal harmony. A number of his songs are full of appeal for establishing
communal harmony, arousing patriotism among cross sections of the society. His
activities and achievements have been well appreciatedby distinguished government
officers and other eminent personalities. Shri Nizami was also conferred with the title
of RAJYAATITHI by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in the year 1999.
YOUNG SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
JOE WINSTON
Joe Winston is a young entrepreneur, who has supported and mentored a lot of
entrepreneurs and also visualized and developed a lot of Education Enterprises. He
has been responsible for creating the Entrepreneur Development Cell of Nagercoil
that helps the small and tiny entrepreneurs to set up shops, thereby encouraging
business. His desire is to make India a nation free from caste and religious biases and
promote the feeling of oneness and unity amongst the people. He has been working
for this cause by organizing citizen’s movements across the country and meeting
people and motivating them to bring about a change in the society. Another issue that
he has majorly contributed to is health care and education, primarily in Tamil Nadu.
Mr.Joe Winston firmly believes in the power of good quality education to transform
the Indian society for the better.
STUDENT CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
JITHIN C NEDUMALA
Jithin C Nedumala is the founding member of Make a Difference (MAD) and is
currently involved with the organization. He has successfully utilized his people
management skills to organize the activities of his organization by coordinating
between the orphanages and volunteers. He has been involved in imparting education
in various orphanages and has personally conducted more than 1500 hours of
classroom sessions. Today, MAD functions in 11 cities across India and it is his
vision to extend his activities to more cities and centres and thereby provide quality
service to a larger community. His organization has given a platform for the
interaction between the children and the youth who want to help. From career
guidance to financial help, Jithin has been constantly directing his efforts for the
welfare of these children. He truly has the potential to ‘right every wrong’ in the
Indian context and bring a change for the better.
STUDENT CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
DHIRENDRA PRATAP SINGH
Dhirendra Pratap Singh, a master’s student in Development Studies, realised the
significance of youth involvement in social issues and awareness programmes and
hence established an organisation "Milaan- Be the Change" in 2007. His approach to
illiteracy and social dignity is marked by his organization’s commendable work in the
area of education. The project started with 10 students and 1 teacher and now they
reach out to more than 100 children. Through various educational and life skills
workshops for children and adult, the project has been successful in covering 500
families. Vocational training, a principal constituent of the programme, has guided
400 unemployed youth in Delhi and also been a mechanism to get them placed in
several retail chains. His commitment to the cause of social development brought him
numerous honours like Youth Ambassador for Peace Award and year- long
fellowship ‘ Change Looms’ by Ashoka, to name a few.
CORPORATE CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
HOLISTIC CSR INITIATIVES-CEO
NAKUL ANAND
Nakul Anand is the Divisional Chief Executive – Hotel Division, ITC Limited. An
Economics Honors graduate from Delhi University and an AMP degree holder from
the Bond University, Australia, he joined ITC Training Program in 1978. In a career
that spans over nearly three decades he is widely recognized for his excellent man
management and team-building abilities besides infusing a spirit of action and a result
oriented work culture. Mr.Nakul Anand firmly believes in value bases strategies and
is highly regarded and respected for his work on environment, health and safety.
CORPORATE CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
HOLISTIC CSR INITIATIVES-CSR HEAD
NIRANJAN KHATRI
Mr.Niranjan Khatri is presently the General Manager at Welcomenviron Initiatives,
ITC. He truly believes that all citizens are equal in dignity and hence must promote
the values of equality and human dignity. His mantra in life is to ‘Be the Change’ and
make a difference. Mr.Niranjan has been involved in providing vocational training to
orphans, educating and sensitizing them for employment. More than 200 orphans
have been trained and absorbed by the hotel units themselves and elsewhere. He has
also been working for people with disabilities and provided them with employment
opportunities within his organization. He has also been responsible for the
development of a Domestic Help Training Program (DHTP) for creating a paradigm
shift to move from Corporate Social Responsibility to Individual Social
Responsibility. In all his initiatives, bringing in new ideas has always been a
challenge that he has very well exploited for the betterment of the society.
CORPORATE CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
HOLISTIC IT INITIATIVES
DR. GANESH NATARAJAN
Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Vice Chairman & CEO of Zensar Technologies and President
of the IT Sector and a member of the Management Board of the RPG Group. During
his journey towards achieving greater heights, he has been involved with various
social causes. He has been a social evangelist for the longest time and was involved
with various social movements from his college days itself. Today, he is closely
associated with various NGOs like Akanksha Foundation, Teach for India movement
and Zensar Foundation as a Trust Member. Education, he believes is a fundamental
human right and he has been closely involved in providing the right support and
environment for the individuals to ‘leapfrog’ into a more empowered, equitable and
prosperous future.
CORPORATE CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
HOLISTIC MEDIA INITIATIVES
PRADEEP GUPTA
Pradeep Gupta is the chairman of CyberMedia group, one of the largest speciality
media houses in South Asia. He is an alumnus of IIT- Delhi and IIM- Calcutta. He
has been involved in the social development sector in various capacities and has taken
initiatives as a social agent through his media properties. His company focuses on
nurturing the industries that have or might facelift India at the global arena. His social
intervention plan in the IT/BPO industry cannot be ignored where he championed the
issue of disability and changed the outlook of this booming sector to make it
accessible to the disabled. Moreover, he is currently involved in making all Indian
websites disabled-friendly. His ‘Getting Girls to School’ programme results in 1500
girls entering education every year. He has also been awarded with Helen Keller
award
.CORPORATE CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
CORPORATE EXECUTIVE
DR. VILLOO MORAWALA PATELL
Dr.Villoo Morawala-Patell is the Founder, Chairperson and Managing Director of
Avesthagen Limited. Her company is based on unique model that focuses on the
convergence of food, pharma and population genetics. A convergence that leads to
continuous and path- breaking innovations in predictive, preventive, personalised
healthcare. Whether she is wooing investors, building a patent portfolio, critiquing
multinational pharmaceutical firms or tackling hereditary diseases in her native
community, she brings a unique mix of dynamism and intellectual verve to the table.
With the success and immense recognition to her work and name, she certainly takes
women empowerment to a whole new level.
CORPORATE CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
CORPORATE CEO’S FOUNDATION
SATYA NARAYANAN
Mr.Satya Narayanan displayed the conviction to start a viable enterprise in education
when he decided to become an entrepreneur in education. As the founding chairman
of Career Launcher India Ltd., he has nurtured various students by helping them
achieve their dream career. An ambassador of education, he has been successful in
improving vocational training in the country by entering the industrial training
institutes and providing quality education to poor students in Andhra Pradesh as a part
of the Indus World Schools (Andhra Pradesh). Recently he has bagged a project from
Ministry of Rural Development for employability skills training of 6400 rural below
poverty line youth in 20 districts across Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. His
organization, Career Launcher, is a registered training partner of Gujarat Knowledge
Society to undertake vocational training courses for the underprivileged in Gujarat.
He has been involved in promoting responsible corporate citizenry that revolves
around encouraging ethical entrepreneurship.
MEDIA CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
FILMMAKER (MAINSTREAM)
ONIR
Onir is a filmmaker, producer, writer and editor who has constantly used his
filmmaking skills effectively to create awareness about various causes. Be it the
controversial issues like Homosexuality or the less spoken about issues like sodomy,
his movies have certainly been a reflection of truth. His first film My Brother Nikhil,
touched upon the sensitive issue of homosexuality and AIDS and was a breakthrough
for the Gay community in India. Another issue that he strongly feels for and has been
working for is that of Child Sexual Abuse in India and it was to bring about the
gravity and seriousness of this issue that he conceptualized the movie – Abhimanyu.
He has also been associated with 7 NGOs working for the cause of child Sexual
Abuse. Currently he is working on a series of short films, all of which deal with
important social issues like MEGHA which is about Kashmiri Pandits who have been
refugees, OMAR which is about the significance of the verdict on Homosexuality, to
name a few. He believes that the powerless have the strength of truth and courage and
if they all stand against the wrong together, change is inevitable.
MEDIA CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
FILMMAKER (CONTEMPORARY ISSUES)
GIRISH JOSHI
Mr.Girish Joshi is a qualified software engineer and presently a filmmaker. He truly
believes in using the mass entertainment pull of Hindi Films in propagating awareness
of social issues. His films like ‘Zor Lagaa Ke Haiya’ have been an attempt at making
people aware of the visible and alarming issues around them that mostly get ignored.
This movie is the first commercial film ever in Bollywood to touch the environment
issue in a very significant way and has also won various awards worldwide. Mr.Girish
has also made several Corporate AVs for NGOs working for the mentally challenged
children. He has a desire in him to harness his media experience for the welfare of the
society as a whole.
MEDIA CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
FILMMAKER (SHORT FILMS)
GEETA KUMAR SINGH
Geeta Singh, over the past 6 years, has been working on films on the impact of
climate change and sustainable methods of combating the effects of global warming.
An editor by profession, she now directs and produces films on subjects such as
emancipation of women and the girl child, street children and education for all. For 2
consecutive years, she has been a member of the jury for selection of films for the UK
Environment Film Fellowships, instituted by the British High Commission and the
British Council in India. Her films have been finalists not only at the CMS Vatavaran
environment film festival, but also the world renowned Panda Awards, at the
Wildscreen film festival in the United Kingdom.
MEDIA CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
FILMMAKER (SHORT FILMS)
AVINASH KUMAR SINGH
Avinash Kumar Singh, a writer / director / cinematographer by profession, has
worked on films on the environment and climate change over the past 6 years. ‘Turtle
on a Hammock films’, run by his wife Geeta and himself, consists of a team of young,
enthusiastic and skilled professionals who deliver films that make a mark. Working
extensively with a variety of NGO’s such as Action Aid, CARE, Frendicoes,
Youthreach and Udayan Care, his efforts at making films that make a difference have
been critically acclaimed and well received. He is also working on his 1st Hindi
feature film with Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranvir Shorey.
MEDIA CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
RIDHESH SEJPAL
Mr. Ridhesh Sejpal is a documentary filmmaker and has been experimenting with the
medium of cinema. At the age of 21, he has already directed marvelous
documentaries on diverse social subjects and has always accumulated the essence of
the appeal brilliantly. These documentaries and films have been globally recognized
and awarded over the years. Mr. Ridhesh has also served as the Vice President,
Community Service Director and Volunteer for the Rotaract Club of
Mulund.(Mumbai) He has coordinated several projects such as Aids Awareness
Campaigns, Polio Dose Camps, Ban Plastic Camps, Relief to 7\11 Blast Victims &
Film Screenings for BMC School Students. He also worked for the global warming
issues as an active member of the Global Warming Research team for the Vidhyarthi
Pratinidhi Mandal(Ruia College).
MEDIA CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
PRINT MEDIA
TARUN J TEJPAL
Mr. Tarun J Tejpal is a journalist, publisher and novelist and in his 26-year career he
has worked with India Today, Indian Express, The Telegraph and Outlook. In 2000 he
started Tehelka, a news organization that has earned a global reputation for its
aggressive public interest journalism. Mr. Tejpal has been listed as one of Asia’s 50
most powerful communicators and among 50 leaders at the forefront of change in
Asia. His debut novel The Alchemy Of Desire was hailed as a "masterpiece", and his
new one, The Story of My Assassins, has been termed "an instant classic". Both have
been translated in more than a dozen languages worldwide. Both as a journalist and a
writer, his work is seen as courageous and path breaking.
MEDIA CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
AUTHOR
GREGORY DAVID ROBERTS
Gregory David Robert’s novel SHANTARAM has been acclaimed as ‘a masterpiece’
by a number of critics and reviewers across the globe. He has devoted much time,
energy and money in helping to raise the health standard of the people living in the
Cuffe Parade Zhopadpatti (Ambedkar Nagar). Gregory David Roberts works as an
ethical consultant for major international corporations. Further, he has focused on
employment and education related issues. He has himself funded ‘THE
SHANTARAM’ initiative and never accepted from anyone. Mr. Gregory Roberts has
been closely involved in providing free, open and universal education to the poor. His
Shantaram initiative works towards educating poorest of the poor, in order to help
break the poverty cycle that keeps families without access to education. He has also
been working with like-minded charities like Akanksha and The Heart for India
Foundation, to create positive synergies and expand his work.
SPORTSPERSON 4 CHANGE KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
BITTOO SONDHI
Bittoo Sondhi, popularly known as Bittoo Bikewallah, started his life as a child
labour. He went on to drive an auto rickshaw and later a truck but now he is an
authorised dealer of world famous bikes Suzuki (Bittoo Suzuki). He pursued his
dream to become a National and International bike racer, and is now supporting
others to chase their dreams, whatever they may be, through “Dream on Wheels”.
Bittoo’s passion for bike driving gave him the strength, not only to continue his bike
racing even after multiple fractures, but also to fight the doctor’s decision to amputate
his right leg due to cancer. He started participating in rallies from 1988 and still
continues. Over the years he has participated approximately in 65 rallies, both
national and International, like Great Desert Himalayan (GDH), Raid the Himalayan,
South India Rally, Hot Weather Rally etc, always finishing in top 5 positions. His
determination to give back to the society led him to motivate children and youth
across India, through his association with organizations like Action Aid, Gandhi
Smriti and Darshan Smriti, UNICEF, Vikalp, World Comics and many more. He has
supported diverse issues like disability, girl child, polio etc. He is also working for the
peace, in conjunction with Gandhi Smriti and has organised the rally “Bike for
peace”. He has also made a documentary film Chittee Hattiya. . Bittoo has voiced his
concerns at every given opportunity and his perseverance has no periphery..
SPORTSPERSON 4 CHANGE KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
MALATHI K HOLLA
Ms.Malathi K Holla is truly a Champion of Champions, a born athlete and a Bank
Manager and Social Activist by profession. With a number of laurels to her name
including the Padmashri Award, Arjuna Award, Ekalavya Award and many more,
Ms.Malathi is an achiever in all fronts with a limitless capacity to excel in whatever
she is engaged in. However, despite her own personal physical trials and challenges,
Malathi has a laudable vision of reaching out to her fellow paraplegics and setting an
example that life is surmountable no matter what, and that given courage, discipline,
perseverance and an indomitable spirit, one can reach the most formidable of goals
and that nothing is impossible. With the moral support of her friends, she has opened
a Foundation called MATHRU FOUNDATION where she is providing free shelter,
school and medical facilities to the poor and needy physically disabled children aged
between 5-12 boys. With over 300 Gold, Silver and Bronze
State/National/International medals at Paralympics/Asian/World masters/Open
Athletic Championships in different parts of the world, she has an amazing “never say
die” and an overwhelming spirit that defies the limits of human endeavor.
PROFESSIONAL CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
LAWYER-ASIM SARODE
The fire brand Human Rights activist, Advocate Asim Sarode is seeking to change the
power equation between the judiciary, witnesses and victims. He is a leading criminal
lawyer and it is his dynamic personality that is successfully spreading the wings of
justice. He is a firm believer of Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non violence and it
is the non violent communication that is his main tool of work. Asim is well known
for his remarkable socio-legal movements amongst the communities and has recently
been elected for the internationally reputed ‘Ashoka Fellowship for the Innovators’ of
Washington (USA). For the last ten years, he has been intervening in the courts with a
socio-legal perspective so as to increase and strengthen the access to justice of the
vulnerable groups. With the Human Rights and Law Defenders (HRLS), legal wing of
Sahyog Trust, he has been working to make the judiciary people oriented. He
represents and assists marginalized people who cannot afford to appoint a counsel in
the court and is working to provide legal aid to the prisoners, victims of Domestic
Violence, sex workers, People Living with HIV and children.
PROFESSIONAL CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
IT PROFESSIONAL- PARTHO BHOWMICK
An IT professional, Mr.Partho Bhowmick got involved with social work just by
accident. His passion for photography made him contact Evgen Bavcar, an
accomplished blind photographer in Paris and then began his study on blindness and
visual art. After his independent research on art by the blind, Mr.Partho started a
workshop to teach photography to the visually impaired. With a lot of hurdles in his
way, with hardly any support and just 1 student to begin with, he began his workshop
inculcating the idea of “seeing through the eye of the blind”. His workshop was
designed to trigger systematic visual thinking in the visually impaired and enhance
their mental image formation. With time the workshop culminated into the “Blind
With Camera” project and later the national traveling exhibition “Beyond Sight.” His
efforts of bringing a change, changed him as a person and today, he believes that ‘the
blind are not totally blind and reality is not totally real’
PROFESSIONAL CITIZEN KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
DOCTOR- RAMESH CHANDRA SRIVASTAVA
Doctors are often referred to as ‘Gods in Disguise’ and Dr. Ramesh Chandra
Srivastava has proved it right by dedicating his life to serve the poor and needy. It is
astonishing to witness a long queue of patients outside his clinic every day. In his 40
years of practice he must have seen more than 36 Lac patients without charging a
consultation fees and giving them free medicine. He works round the clock, six days
a week and devotes his free time in organising medical camps for eye, polio
vaccination and daily check -ups. He is an exemplary example of mobilising one’s
profession for community benefit.
KIDS 4CHANGE KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
RIJUTA LAMBA
A 12th standard student of Springdales School, Rijuta is closely associated with the
issue of violence towards children. She was an integral part of CSE – a 5 day
volunteer programme where she worked towards spreading awareness regarding eco
friendly ways of living. Rijuta has been a part of the Gandhi Media Literacy
Programme, an initiative by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti. She is the editor of
THE YAMUNA, a quarterly newspaper that focuses on various social issues that
plague society especially relating to violence towards children. This passionate young
girl, all of 17, was featured on THE YOUTH EXPRESS, a show on Doordarshan.
Rijuta also assisted NCERT on their media literacy training programmes.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
UNNATTEE EUSEBIUS
The world is moving at a real fast pace and nobody cares for what the person sitting
next to them is doing. Even being from the e- generation Unnatte Eusebius, class XI
student of The Sri Ram School, Aravali has not forgetten her social responsibility and
human emotions that binds us in this garden of life. She always used to wonder what
efforts she can take as a citizen to provide comfort and care to her domestic help,
school support staff and their children. She started up by teaching her servant’s
children and later on took the next step and decided to raise funds for the poor
children, who study in her school after 3pm. Along with some of her friends, she was
able to collect nearly Rs. 70, 000 and used it to gift these children with Diwali gifts.
Her effort was well appreciated and a smile on 200 children’s faces made her day. It’s
been two years since she has been doing this act of kindness. Once she grows up, she
wishes to change the lives of many.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
PRIANJALI MITRA
Priyanjali is a 12th standard student of The Sri Ram School and with her little efforts
every now and then, she has successfully contributed a great deal towards
environment conservation. From increasing awareness through presentations at
various institutions to being a part of several campaigns, Priyanjali has sincerely
worked towards the cause of tiger conservation and tribal rights. She has been a part
of the Moghiya Rehabilitation Programme in Ranthambore and also helped raise
funds for the same.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
ISHAAN SODHI
Enthusiastic, independent and extremely confident, Ishaan has been working on
environmental issues with great concern ever since he was five years old. He has been
going around shops urging people to do away with plastic bags and use cloth bags
instead and has always been successful in his endeavours. As a member of The Green
Brigade at The Shri Ram School, he has been helping with generation of funds for the
Moghiya Rehabilitation Programme during the school open days. During monsoon,
you can see him with his team saving the wandering millipedes from being crushed
under the feet of visitors.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
RAGHAV AGARWAL
Raghav is a 12th standard student of The Sri Ram School and has been working with
Kids for Tigers since 2005. Over the last few years he has been successful in
spreading awareness about tiger conservation through presentations, rallies,
workshops and campaigns. As a part of Moghiya Rehabilitation Programme, Raghav
has hosted several fundraising stalls and voluntarily taken up fundraising activities for
the same. He has also been a member of the Gharial Expedition 09’ along River
Chambal and attended several workshops on climate change and tiger conservation.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
AAKAAR GANDHI
A dedicated 12th standard student of The Sri Ram School, Aakar has been a part of
Kids for Tigers since 2008. He has participated in several workshops on climate
change and tiger conservation. Aakaar has been deeply involved with the cause of
environment protection and has been spreading awareness and sensitizing people
about the same. He is an active member of the Moghiya Rehabilitation Programme
and has undertaken several fundraising activities.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
JAIDEEP CHADDHA
A 12th standard student of The Sri Ram School, Jaideep has been an integral part of
the Rehabilitation of the Moghiya Rehabilitation Programme. He has also volunteered
for the 4th tiger consultation held at Shri Ram Vasant Vihar. In 2008 and 2009, he
took a trip to Ranthambore National Park for the tiger conservation cause. He has also
been associated with environmental issue and recently took part at a workshop about
climate change.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
NIKITA SETH
A 10th standard student of The Sri Ram School, Nikita has been a member of the
Junior Tiger Task Force for the last 5 years, attending workshops, campaigning,
spreading awareness and sincerely contributing towards environmental issues and
tiger conservation to the best of her ability. She has been a frequent visitor at
Ranthambore, undertaking various projects as a part of Moghiya Rehabilitation
Programme.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
PRAGYA BHARGAVA
Pragya, a student of The Sri Ram School, has been actively working since 2003 to
spread awareness about environmental issuses. She has raised funds for the Moghiya
tribe by making and selling cards, bags, bookmarks, coasters etc. from discarded
material. She was also involved with the Gugal plantation project at Ranthambore.
She has undergone training for tiger protection and participates in the tiger fest
annually in order to spread awareness about the same.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
DHRUV BHATNAGAR
Dhruv Bhatnagar is a VIII standard student of The Sri Ram School. A devoted
individual, he has closely been associated with environmental issues and the Kids for
Tigers Club for which he went for a tiger conservation trip to Ranthambore. Dhruv
has also been involved in raising funds for the Moghiya tribe and for the Tiger
conservation cause. In order to spread awareness about the tiger conservation cause,
he has enacted in several plays portraying the importance of tiger conservation.
KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
PRANAY VIR SINGH
A class lXth student of The Sri Ram School, Pranay has been working for the Kids for
Tigers since 2005. He has been closely associated with the issues related to
environment. Pranay has constantly worked for raising funds for the Moghiya
Rehabilitation Programme. He has achieved this by selling plants and saplings for
many days with the NGO-V for Shwetza. Pranay has also been working towards
spreading awareness in Ranthambore.
KARMAVEER PURASKAAR, 2009
ARYAN DHINGRA
Calm and unruffled, this peace loving naturaliststudent of The Sri Ram School is all
set to marvel the world with his artistic abilities. Appointed as the Peace Cadet, he is
all geared up to make a difference with art, for conservation. He has been regularly
painting canvases on wildlife and auctioning them, thereby generating funds for the
rehabilitation of Moghiya tribals around Ranthambhore National Park
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
ARANYA DANG
A talented artist and singer of The Sri Ram School, Aranya’s keen enthusiasm for
environmental concerns has been very encouraging. Always ready to work with new
ideas, she motivates her friends to work for new challenges. She has been
instrumental in generating funds for the Moghiyas and the Hoollock Gibbons.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
NANKI KUKREJA
Nanki, a student of The Sri Ram School, is seen manning the ice cream stalls on all
open days, generating funds for the Moghiya Rehabilitation Programme. Her
consistent perseverance and dedication to her work has been a blessing to the
Moghiya Rehabilitation programme.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
KIMAYA KUKREJA
Gentle and sensitive, Kimaya of The Sri Ram School has an innate sense of
responsibility which is reflected in her decision to work for the tribals around
Ranthambhore Park. She is seen taking charge of stalls by selling ice cream and
generating funds.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
DEVANSHU SOOD
Devanshu is a courteous, focused and balanced young student of The Sri Ram School.
A team player, he can get a team to work together. Articulate and well read, he is
keenly aware of issues concerning the environment and is passionate about them. A
member of the Environment Club since 2004, he has been involved in various
campaigns such as the anti cracker campaign, 'Say no to crackers' campaign, waste
segregation and the Ridge Afforestation campaign. He has been a member of the Kids
for Tigers Conservation Programme, in connection with which, he has visited Jim
Corbett National Park and the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and met with several
eminent personalities such as Mrs. Sheila Dixit and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan
Singh to further the cause of the tigers. He has been involved very closely with the
rehabilitation of the Moghiya Tribe, a nomadic community of poachers.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
SARTHAK MALHOTRA
Sarthak is a devoted student of The Sri Ram School; is passionate about whatever
work he undertakes. In class VIII he founded his own History club 'Itihas -Ki- Khoj'.
In class IX he presented a paper at the 'Itihaas' seminar, an organization that conducts
historical walks. This paper was applauded and won him and the school accolades.
His sensitivity and concern for the environment has been showcased in his
involvement in various causes like 'Save the Tiger’,’ Save The Yamuna',' Rain Water
Harvesting' and 'Say No to Plastic'. He has been passionately associated with 'Project
Tiger' for the rehabilitation of the Moghiya Tribe. He has also been selected for the
TERI's prestigious LaBL Torch bearer initiative for providing solar lights to the
villages of Rajasthan. Sarthak has been able to balance academics and co curricular
activities with ease and enjoys both equally.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
JAWAHAR KHETAN
A dedicated and passionate young student of The Sri Ram School Jawahar has been
working towards giving back to nature. He has often traveled to Ranthambore to
spread awareness about the raging environmental issues and climate change and has
been encouraging them to act in the best interest of nature. He has been working on
the issue of vulture and tiger conservation in India. Jawahar has also left a mark by his
concrete
efforts
for
the
protection
of
River
Yamuna.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
PARANJOY ROY CHAUDHURY
Paranjoy, a student of The Shri Ram School, has been associated with Kids for Tigers
for over five years now. He has been a part of the Moghiya Rehabilitation Programme
and his contribution to the same has done wonders for the Moghiya Tribes. He has
been raising funds in cash and kind for the Moghiyas. He was also a part of the 4th
Annual Bengal Tiger Conference for discussing issues ranging from the national
parks to the Government and the Tiger itself. Paranjoy’s active participation in the
Gugal Plantation Project brought immense relief to the villagers in that region.
KARMAVEER CHAKRA, 2009
RISHIKA SEHGAL
As a part of the Kids for Tigers organization and the Junior Tiger Task Force since
2004, Rishika has endeavored to save the dwindling population of tigers in India
through various tools like creating awareness amongst school children through plays,
songs, conducting presentations in different schools and organizing tiger festivals, to
name a few. She has been actively involved in fund raising for the Moghiya
Rehabilitation Programme and worked with several NGOs to help build school for
girls and hostel for boys to ensure a secured future for the tribes. An issue close to her
is that of tiger conservation and she believes that the only way to protect the tiger
population in India is by protecting their habitat. Through her determined efforts and
initiatives, she has been working towards bringing a change for the better.
CHAKRA FOR EXCELLENCE, 2009
MAHENDRA PRATAP SINGH
Mahendra Pratap Singh, with a dream to make India a mega nation which is free of
corruption and bureaucratic set up, founded project VIJAY with Himanshu Swarnkar
in 2008. An engineer by qualification, Mahendra felt the acute need of rural and urban
growth to form his ideal nation. Being instilled with the values of courage and
determination, he rose up from being a silent spectator to a revolutionist in uprooting
the existing fraudulent practices in the civil society. His Project VIJAY believes that
RTI is the most progressive Act which empowers a citizen to scrap unethical system.
They used the strength of RTI by filing information regarding the assets of suspicious
members of Parliament in order to measure sordid exercises at various parameters.
CHAKRA FOR EXCELLENCE, 2009
HIMANSHU SWARNKAR
Himanshu Swarnkar founded Project VIJAY in 2008 along with his friend Mahendra
Pratap Singh. He is a graduate from University of Lucknow and is determined to
develop rural and urban setting by youth driven activities. He aims to foster the voice
of young Indians to come in forefront to fight for better governance, fundamental
rights and most importantly leave their ideal footprints for others to follow. Project
VIJAY thrives hard to curb the injustice and corruption prevailing in the Indian polity
and culture by spreading awareness about the newly found weapon RTI and its
exercising process to the community for better civic living.
CHAKRA FOR EXCELLENCE, 2009
NAVIN GULIA
Navin Gulia got bound to a wheelchair after an accident but it did not stop him to live
his life with the same dignity and passion. He attended college and did his Masters in
Computer Applications from Symbiosis International University and later cleared
UGC Net Lectureship exam. During this phase, he worked with many NGOs to
rehabilitate the disabled soldiers and special children. An avid follower of Adventure
Sports, he raised funds for many social causes through his world record adventure
expeditions. Soon he got the path which would determine his course of life. In 200405, he mapped out the organisation for the underprivileged children called ADAAApni Duniya Apna Ashiana (Our World Our Home). ADAA is running successful
activities for children in rural areas, setting up shelters for street children and
providing them education, food packets and clothes for their basic survival. His
organization reaches out more than 2000 needy children. It has a 24 hrs helpline
service and tie- up with many other social bodies to help the children in need. The aim
of ADAA is to spread 360 degrees support to children by conducting counseling
sessions, legal and medical help. Navin Gulia has been honoured as ‘National Role
Model’ by former President Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam. His accomplishments and
determination and service to society have truly made him a role model.
CHAKRA FOR EXCELLENCE, 2009
JAVED AHMAD TAK
Born in Bijbehara – the town of chinars, in Jammu and Kashmir, Javed Ahmad Tak
is an exemplary example of courage and optimism, who after being hit in militancy
related incident in Kashmir Valley became wheel chair bound, has been helping in
empowering the disabled ones. Javed is the founder of Humanity Welfare
Organisation and a school that works to improve the condition of physically and
mentally challenged people; Communal Harmony and peace. The special school is
first of its kind in the district and has been instrumental in giving a ray hope to
differently able people. I t is due his efforts that Draft policy for Empowerment of
persons with Disabilities in J&K. He is an MA (Social Work), and his approach to
this cause is marked by the education and employment reservation grant provided to
less blessed. Javed motivated the Kashmir University Administration to create
disabled friendly Environment for inclusion of Physically Challenged students. His
NGO carries out various seminars, workshops, and rallies to bring awareness
regarding the rights drafted in the constitution. He has also represented India at Youth
Understanding and friendship Program held in China, as an Indian Youth Delegate
under the category “Leaders with Special Abilities”. He is also the recipient of
National Award for persons for Welfare of persons with disabilities.
CHAKRA FOR EXCELLENCE, 2009
DEEPAK KUMAR SAHA
Deepak Kumar, with an excellent academic background ,could have chosen to pursue
his career in the bureaucratic field or joined the corporate sector for his individual
growth. Instead he chose to work for the development of deprived sections of people
in rural Bihar through Jaiprabha Mahila Vikas Kendra, an NGO founded by his
mother. Jaiprabha has put in over 25 years of focused efforts towards integrated
development of the marginalised sections of the society, with a focus on empowering
women and children. Today, under his guidance, Jaiprabha has a target of providing
Elementary education to all eligible children, safe drinking water to all house holds of
the target villages and restoring dignity of women through education and skill
building. Deepak has also contributed remarkably towards conservation of ecology
and Natural Resource Management through promoting large scale social forestry and
construction of check dams with lift irrigation facility and restoration of large number
of water bodies in the villages.
CHAKRA FOR EXCELLENCE, 2009
NIKITA KETKAR
Nikita Ketkar is the founder of an NGO – Masoom which was founded to carry out
interventions for night schools. The vision of Masoom is to support the youth to learn
while they earn and enable the night school students to achieve their full potential
through educational and policy support. Masoom also organizes teacher training
programs, Braille teacher sponsorship, Parents workshops, Vocational guidance for
students and makes counseling facilities and nutrition available to the students in
order to build capacity of all of the players. As the next step in the program, Masoom
also wants to advocate with Government systems to support night schools with both
monetary and infrastructural inputs. She has also been selected as a Senior Fellow by
PUKAR to carry out research on the problems faced by Night School Children in
Mumbai. By initiating action in an area that has been neglected for more than a
century, Nikita is a pioneer in addressing a neglected issue by giving it due visibility
and
justice.