Karmaveer Noble Laureates 2009-10
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
Fund Raising
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.
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION AND CAMPAIGN STARTEGIST
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
Category – 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 award-winning 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 Idriz 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 Govt. 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.