Turning the spotlight on bonafide change makers, who work at the grassroots level to take the nation forward, the Civil Society Magazine in partnership with the Aziz Premji Foundation felicitated five sets of people on Saturday at the India Habitat Centre.
"The distinguishing part of this practice is that here people are discovered to be chosen for The Civil Society Hall of Fame, and not nominated. No one can apply and win. We pick them from across the nation," said Umesh Anand, the publisher of the magazine.
"These are the people who are working in their respective directions without the greed of being awarded," he added.
People making it to the Civil Society Hall of Fame are those whose contributions are inspirational and more so because they are grounded in reality.
"The idea behind the concept is 'everyone is someone'," Anand added.
The event showcased short and crisp video stories of each group that was awarded. It presented an overall knowledge of their work done in their respective fields.
First group honoured for the Civil Society Hall of Fame is the Soya Project by Padam Jain, Himanshu Bais and Srijan (a self-reliant initiative for joint action) in Rajasthan's Bundi District.
In 2008, Padam and Himanshu, completely unacquainted with the knowledge of agricultural scientific practices, set out to boost soya bean yields in the semi- arid area of Bundi.
Their hard work has not only brought down the price of seeds, but also made women farmers learn how to produce seeds scientifically from foundation seeds. The seeds are certified and sold in the market.
Another awardee, Praveen, an IPS officer, a firm believer in negotiation and constructive engagement, helped a tribal girl and a Dalit boy conquer the Everest through the toughest routes.
Shankar Singh, a communicator, a speaker, an actor, a puppeteer and one of the most valued members of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanagathan's (MKSS) core group, was awarded a place in The Civil Society Hall of Fame for his rare talent of communicating complex realities of society through street shows.
Other groups felicitated were 'Doctors For You' and its founder Dr. Ravikant Singh, who is trying to bring a change in the public health sector.
Using the Right to Information, three pastors from Meghalaya- Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh, Zambolis Sawkmie and Moody Lyngkhoi, were felicitated for having exposed the lack of regulation of private education in the state.
Indian Ocean- an Indian rock band gave an enthralling performance as part of the event that also commemorated the 11th anniversary of the magazine.
The Civil Society Magazine is presently in its sixth year of felicitating such social change makers.
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