Introduction
Indian Social Activists have strived throughout the years for the betterment and development of the Indian society. It is their unending zeal and the spirit to earn rights for fellow Indians that have aided natives for their unfathomable progress. Indian Social Activists had attempted to eliminate social evils like caste distinctions and promote equality among all. In the post-independent era, Indian traditional ideas about social change and political protest went through a revolution. The Gandhian form of Satyagraha or non-violent protest through parades and marches, meetings and other passive forms of protest is still admired.
Social Activists in India have worked intensely towards uplifting the standards of living of not only men and women, but also the animals and heritage buildings of the nation. They worked together to combat communalism, female foeticide and for women`s empowerment. Some Indian social activists are working to combat drugs or alcohol abuse, AIDS and to promote education for the masses and ecological conservation. Some of the more social movements include the Narmada Bachao Andolon, the Chipko Movement and the Right to Information Movement, which promotes lucidity in the workings of the State.
Indian Women Activists
Indian women activists have raised their voice against social evils like child marriage, child labour, exploitation of women, dowry system and have whole heartedly supported various educational programmes time and again. The concept of Indian women activists has its roots in the 19th and 20th centuries, when women education was in its full swing in India then. Social reform groups, such as Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj and others encouraged women`s participation in social and religious issues. Women during these centuries took up the responsibility of spreading awareness regarding numerous issues. Women emancipation developed as a primary concern too. They organised themselves into different organisations which worked for the upliftment and enlightenment of women.
With changing times the contribution of the Indian women activists became more important. Their concern with the status of Indian women led to different social works and contemporary India has also witnessed the rise of politically affiliated women organisations. With more and more Indian women opting for employment, issues relating to their safety are a major concern for Indian women activists as well. Besides these the Indian women activists have also lent their voices for environmental causes.
Gauri Maa : Gauri Maa, also revered as `Gauridasi` or `Gauriananda`, was a devoted disciple of the Indian saint, Ramakrishna Paramahansa and a friend to his wife Sarada Devi. She was born on 1857 and was inspired to strive for imparting education amongst Indian womenfolk by Paramahansa. She had founded Saradeshwari Ashram in Kolkata during 1895 wherein education was provided to single, married and widowed ladies, free of cost. She believed that women`s education would lead to their development, both intellectually and spiritually, and that education was a `national duty`. She died in 1938.
Savitribai Phule : Savitribai Jyotirao Phule was a famous social reformer who played a crucial role in enhancing the women`s right in the country, particularly during the British Raj in India. She was supported in her efforts by her husband Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. Savitribai Phule gained fame as the very first female teacher of the oldest women`s school in the nation and was also respected as the trailblazer of modern Marathi poetry. She installed a school meant for untouchable girls during 1852 and continued teaching despite being verbally abused. Stones were also thrown at her. The Maharashtra Government has started an award in Savitribai`s name to honour `Women Who Work Social Causes`.
Janaki Devi Bajaj : Born on 7th January, 1893 Janaki Devi Bajaj contributed towards Indian freedom struggle through active participation in the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1932. The British Government imprisoned her for her role on the movement and she was an associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Besides, she also promoted spinning on `charkha` or the concept of `Khadi`, improvement of the lives of `harijans`, temple entry of harijans in 1928 and `goseva`. Following Indian independence from British Raj, she worked for `Bhoodan Movement` along with Vinoba Bhave. Several awards and educational organisations have been named in the honour of this Padma Vibhushan awardee, including Janaki Devi Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.
Kanaklata Barua : Also known as `Birbala` and `shaheed` or martyr, Kanaklata Barua was an Assamese freedom fighter who was shot dead at a tender age of 17, while she headed a dead squad known as `Mrityu Bahini` at the Quit India Movement, carrying an Indian national flag. The group comprised youths from Gohpur subdivision, Assam. The Bahini aimed to hoist the flag at the police station on 20th September, 1942 and were not discouraged even by threats from the officer-in-charge of the police station, Rebati Mahan Som. Therefore, while the Mritya Bahini proceeded, the police shot Kanaklata and later Mukunda Kakoti, who took the flag from her.
Aruna Roy : Aruna Roy is the head of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana or `Workers and Peasants Strength Union`, and is renowned for being an important leader of the Right to Information movement which eventually resulted in the enactment of the Right to Information Act, 2005. She was born on 26th June, 1946. She was a member of the organisation called National Advisory Council and also the Social Work and Research Centre or SWRC in the region of Tilonia, Rajasthan. She had been awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in the year 2000 and the famous Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academia and Management in 2010.
Medha Patkar : Medha Patkar is well-known social activist who played an important role in the Narmada Bachao Andolan and was born in 1954. She had filed a public interest petition against Anna Hazare, Lavasa and other members belonging to the National Alliance of People`s Movements or NAPM in the Bombay High Court. She is the recipient of numerous awards like Goldman Environment Prize, Deena Nath Mangeshkar Award, Mahatma Phule Award, Human Rights Defender`s Award from Amnesty International and the Right Livelihood Award, 1991. She also received the M.A. Thomas National Human Rights Award from Vigil India Movement, 1999.
Arundhati Roy : Recognised as an Indian author and political activist, Suzanna Arundhati Roy is also involved in human rights and environmental concerns. She was born on 24th November, 1961. She supported Kashmiri separatism following fierce mass rebellions for the independence of Kashmir, from India which included the rallies of 5, 00, 000 separatists who led those processions in Kashmir, on 18th August, 2008. Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP and Indian National Congress or INC criticised the claims of Arundhati Roy who asserted that Kashmir rallies signified that Kashmiris aimed at a separation from India, rather than a union. Along with Medha Patkar, she campaigned against Narmada Bachao Andolan Project and donated the money received from the Booker Prize for the undertaking.
Other Indian Women Activists : Apart from these influential women activists, India has produced many other strong women`s activists who continue to motivate innumerable Indian women. Parbati Giri, Rama Devi Choudhury, Mithan J. Lam, Mithuben Petit, Tanguturi Suryakumari, Mallika Sarabhai, Bhanwari Devi, Mahasweta Devi, Anuradha Ramanan, Brinda Karat, Ruchira Gupta, etc.
Eminent Indian women activists hail from the fields of academics, art, literature and others. Organisations, such as, National Council for Women, Stree Sangharsh Samiti, Purogami Sanghatan and several others have been formed by the Indian women activists for safeguarding their rights and fighting for the oppressed.
Male Social Activists
Male Social Activists have been the path breaker and shower towards the Indian call for Renaissance and social development. They are numerous and significant amidst the socio-cultural map of India.
Aga Khan played a crucial role during the Khilafat Movement. He fought to resist the break-up of Caliphate and uphold the issue to the international forums. He was leader of the Muslim delegation to the British Prime Minister, Lloyd George. Aga Khan continued to serve for the benefits of the Muslim. In 1924 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace for his endeavor to keep up tranquility between Turkey and the western powers. He was appointed the chairman of the All Parties Muslim Conference in 1928-29.
In 1930-33, he went as a leader of the Muslim delegation to the Round Table Conferences. In 1932, he recommended accord of minorities, for which he was conferred with Communal Award. In 1932 He was sent to represent India at the League of Nations. He was an outstanding statesman for that was elected President of the League of Nations in July 1937. He was the only Asian to hold this post. During the World War II, Aga Khan was exiled in Switzerland and he could not partake in the affairs of the Muslims of India.
Bijoy Krishna Goswami was a prominent social reformer and religious figure in India during the British period. The life of Bijoy Krishna Goswami can be identified as a circular pilgrimage from orthodox Vaishnavism through Brahmo Samaj of Tagore, Sen and the Sadharan and then returning finally to the devotional Vaishnavism of Chaiva. Bijoy Krishna did not found any single structured movement throughout his life. However, he did inspire a revival of Vaishnavism through his disciples like Bipan Chandra Pal. He was greatly responsible for the revival of Vaishnavism in Bengal during the nineteenth century.
Debendranath Tagore was the founder of the Brahmo Religion in 1848, which today is identical with Brahmoism. This is the youngest religion of India and Bangladesh. Debendranath Tagore was born in May 15, 1817 to the great "Prince" Dwarkanath Tagore. This Bengali personality is the father of `Gurudev` Rabindranath Tagore.
He was even the editor of Tattwabodhini Patrika which changed the character of Indian vernacular journalism. It popularised the positive aspects of the religious scriptures. It criticised messiah worship and focused on the spiritual and ethical aspects of human personality. It propagated harmony. This magazine was a mouthpiece of Tattvabodhini Sabha.
Vinoba Bhave stands as a symbol for the struggle of the good against the evil, of spiritual against the mundane. He was an Indian social reformer and founder of the Bhudan Yajna or land-gift movement. Vinoba was a spiritual visionary, whose spirituality had a pragmatic stance with intense concern for the deprived. He was a brilliant scholar who could knowledge accessible to ordinary people. He was Gandhi`s ardent follower, who could retain originality in thinking. His idea of the land-gift movement was conceived in 1951 while he was touring villages in the province of Andhra Pradesh, a landholder offered him acreage in response to his appeal for land on behalf of a group of landless untouchables, or Harijans.
Motilal Seal contributed enough money for the welfare of common people. He established a guest house at Belgharia near Calcutta and a bathing ghat on the bank of the Hooghly River which is mostly known as Motilal Ghat. He donated the Land of Calcutta Medical College. In 1843 Seal`s Free College was set up by him and Jews teachers were appointed for spreading the concept of secular education. He also donated huge money and cooperation for the establishment of Hindu Charitable Institution and Hindu Metropolitan College. Motilal Seal also supported Vidyasagar`s move for remarriage of widows.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy worked as a Social Reformer. He rejected the barriers of caste divisions and stood forth as the high priest of Universalism and Love. The best example of his life-long crusade against social evils was the historic agitation he organized against the inhuman custom of women becoming Sati. When the orthodox Hindus petitioned to Parliament to withhold its approval of Bentinck`s action of banning the rite of Sati, he organized a counter-petition of enlightened Hindus in favour of Bentinck`s action. He was a champion of women`s rights. He attacked polygamy and the degraded state to which widows were often reduced. To raise the status of women he demanded that they be given the right of inheritance and property.
Ram Mohan Roy has had a huge impact in the Indian society over the past century. In 1815 he founded the Atmiya Sabha. In the weekly meetings of the Sabha the members discussed the basic principles of Hinduism. In 1819, he defeated a great scholar named Subrahmanya Sastri on the question of idol worship. Since then the Christian missionaries extended their full support to Ram Mohan Roy. In 1821 William Adam, a Christian missionary began to have faith in the doctrine of Advaita i.e. unity of individual and universal soul. William Adam had close contact with Ram Mohan Roy and he founded the Calcutta Unitarian Committee. Since then the Christian Missionaries parted company from Ram Mohuna and they did not agree with the doctrine of Advaita of which Ram Mohan was a great advocate.
Mahamati Prannathji met many saints and tried to unite them so that they could raise a revolt against the despotic Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. He attended many religious congregations like the Kumbh in Allahabad, Haridwar and tried to convince many Hindu saints that instead of praying to thousands of deities, one should pray to the Supreme Lord, the "Advaita Brahman". In Haridwar, many saints and learned people were impressed by his philosophy. They realized that the time for the incarnation of "Vijayabhinand Budh Ji" had come which signified that satanic instincts of human beings will be ended and all will come under the folds of true religion - which is one and the only one and for all.
Kulandei Francis went to Natrampalayam, a remote rural village in Krishnagiri district where his exposure to the local villagers` miseries proved to be a life-changing experience. In that year he renounced his priesthood. After that in 1979 he founded the Integrated Village Development Project. He educated himself in Social Development and Rural Management from Canada and the Philippines. The Integrated Village Development Project offers training to rural students in enhancing their skills namely training in rural sanitation, rural accountancy, management, giving educational support for students in high schools, scholarships and also in computer skills. Then, with the help of development organizations, he undertook a micro-water shed programme that, over twenty-two years, built three thirty one mostly small check dams that caused beneficial to poor cultivators and their families in sixty villages. Kulandai Francis`s main objective is to eradicate the poverty, illiteracy and other social ills from villages of India.
Frank Anthony managed to secure equal payments for all the Europeans and Indian Commissioned officers in the National Defence Council and nominated reserve seats to the Lok Sabha -Lower House in India`s Parliament-for the Anglo Indians, as a minority community of India. Frank Anthony was against the partition because it would be injurious to the minority communities of India. He also demanded special provision for the Anglo-Indians in the Indian Constitution as the member of the constituent assembly of India. Frank Anthony established the All India Anglo-Indian Educational Trust and served as its chairman. Presently this institution runs five Frank Anthony Public and Junior Schools in Calcutta, Delhi and Bangalore. He was also the chairman of the Indian School Certificate Examination. Frank Anthony launched several schemes to provide scholarships and loans to the Anglo Indian student who are willing to take up Teacher`s Training. As a lawyer he successfully defend Mehr Chand Khanna, the ex-finance minister of North-West Frontier Province in 1952.In 1978 he refused the offer by Indira Gandhi of Governorship of Punjab and the Vice-Presidentship of India to continue social service.
Bala Gangadharanatha Swami is another Indian Social Activist who created a decade of social work to attain betterment for Indians. The mutt witnessed a revolutionary progress under his leadership with several of his flagship projects in education, religion and social service. The seer focused on providing humanitarian services including providing basic necessities like food, education and health for lakhs of people during the last four decades. Seer in his speeches always made it a point to highlight the value of trees and their relevance to the survival of agriculture in this modern age. He was the first person to start a rural medical college at Belur in Mandya district when quality treatment was a dream comes true for the people in villages. Seer who was decorated with doctorate degrees from couple of universities and titles by several organizations both in India and abroad was awarded the Padma bhushana in 2010 by the union government.
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, throughout his life, has worked extensively towards the betterment of Indian society and also helped in making sure that social taboo like the caste system and other superstitions were completely eradicated. He made great contribution towards promotion of education among the needy and poor people, and also worked to make a better society for women. Periyar E. V. Ramasamy worked hard for eradication of caste system from the society.
Bhai Puran Singh as a young man he decided to dedicate his life to the selfless service to the humanity. That is why; he founded Pingalwara in the year 1947 with only a few patients, those who were the neglected and rejected found in the streets of Amritsar. Bhai Puran Singh was an early advocate of Green Revolution that was projected during the time of Indira Gandhi. Bhagat Puran Singh was spreading awareness about environmental pollution, and growing soil erosion long before such ideas became popular. He also used to publish his ideal in the recycled paper. He was a mature environmentalist and visionary. He initiated tree plantation drives, organized talks and lectures on various issues concerning the environment and social life, and also wrote a large number of books regarding the same. Some of his famous works include "Education of man", "Righteousness alone exalts a nation", "Plant or Perish", "The Way," "The Increasing Population", and many others books that projected on the upliftment of Indian Society.
In the 1994 it was the initiative taken by Dr. P.K Gopal which had helped to establish IDEA (Integration, Dignity & Economic Advancement of people affected by leprosy), of which he is the able President. He is also Chairman of the National Forum of Persons Affected by Leprosy. In 1996 he became a member of the Medico-Social Commission of ILEP (The International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations), during which time he published a book called `Guidelines for Socio-Economic Rehabilitation` which is still widely used by organizations around the world. Dr Gopal is the International President of the International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA), which he helped to set up in 1994. This international advocacy and human rights organisation is working hard to end the effects of isolation, stigma and discrimination people affected by leprosy experience, which played a key role in the development of the United Nation`s Guidelines for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy and Their Family Members.
Dr Gopal is the President of the National Forum of Persons Affected by Leprosy. In September 2011 he was part of a delegation that met with the honourable President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil to urge the speedy implementation of recommendations outlined in the Action Taken Report tabled by the Petitions Committee in the House on 22nd November 2010, to empower persons affected by leprosy.
In communication with Mr Douglas Soutar, General Secretary of ILEP, Dr Gopal noted that he has been able to achieve what he has with the support of the ILEP Federation and by ILEP Members, particularly FAIRMED. The Hindu quoted Dr Gopal on 26th January 2012 as saying that the government and NGOs should not dilute their leprosy eradication efforts as new leprosy cases are being reported every year.
Anna Hazare : Anna Hazare in the recent times has attracted the headlines for his protest against the corruption. His demand for the formulation of a separate Lokpal to take care of corruption issues has been successful in striking a chord among the people of the country.
Baba Amte: Baba Amte was an Indian social worker and activist who worked for the empowerment of poor. He was honoured with numerous national and international awards for his selfless service to the society his entire life.
Aga Khan played a crucial role during the Khilafat Movement. He fought to resist the break-up of Caliphate and uphold the issue to the international forums. He was leader of the Muslim delegation to the British Prime Minister, Lloyd George. Aga Khan continued to serve for the benefits of the Muslim. In 1924 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace for his endeavor to keep up tranquility between Turkey and the western powers. He was appointed the chairman of the All Parties Muslim Conference in 1928-29.
In 1930-33, he went as a leader of the Muslim delegation to the Round Table Conferences. In 1932, he recommended accord of minorities, for which he was conferred with Communal Award. In 1932 He was sent to represent India at the League of Nations. He was an outstanding statesman for that was elected President of the League of Nations in July 1937. He was the only Asian to hold this post. During the World War II, Aga Khan was exiled in Switzerland and he could not partake in the affairs of the Muslims of India.
Bijoy Krishna Goswami was a prominent social reformer and religious figure in India during the British period. The life of Bijoy Krishna Goswami can be identified as a circular pilgrimage from orthodox Vaishnavism through Brahmo Samaj of Tagore, Sen and the Sadharan and then returning finally to the devotional Vaishnavism of Chaiva. Bijoy Krishna did not found any single structured movement throughout his life. However, he did inspire a revival of Vaishnavism through his disciples like Bipan Chandra Pal. He was greatly responsible for the revival of Vaishnavism in Bengal during the nineteenth century.
Debendranath Tagore was the founder of the Brahmo Religion in 1848, which today is identical with Brahmoism. This is the youngest religion of India and Bangladesh. Debendranath Tagore was born in May 15, 1817 to the great "Prince" Dwarkanath Tagore. This Bengali personality is the father of `Gurudev` Rabindranath Tagore.
He was even the editor of Tattwabodhini Patrika which changed the character of Indian vernacular journalism. It popularised the positive aspects of the religious scriptures. It criticised messiah worship and focused on the spiritual and ethical aspects of human personality. It propagated harmony. This magazine was a mouthpiece of Tattvabodhini Sabha.
Vinoba Bhave stands as a symbol for the struggle of the good against the evil, of spiritual against the mundane. He was an Indian social reformer and founder of the Bhudan Yajna or land-gift movement. Vinoba was a spiritual visionary, whose spirituality had a pragmatic stance with intense concern for the deprived. He was a brilliant scholar who could knowledge accessible to ordinary people. He was Gandhi`s ardent follower, who could retain originality in thinking. His idea of the land-gift movement was conceived in 1951 while he was touring villages in the province of Andhra Pradesh, a landholder offered him acreage in response to his appeal for land on behalf of a group of landless untouchables, or Harijans.
Motilal Seal contributed enough money for the welfare of common people. He established a guest house at Belgharia near Calcutta and a bathing ghat on the bank of the Hooghly River which is mostly known as Motilal Ghat. He donated the Land of Calcutta Medical College. In 1843 Seal`s Free College was set up by him and Jews teachers were appointed for spreading the concept of secular education. He also donated huge money and cooperation for the establishment of Hindu Charitable Institution and Hindu Metropolitan College. Motilal Seal also supported Vidyasagar`s move for remarriage of widows.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy worked as a Social Reformer. He rejected the barriers of caste divisions and stood forth as the high priest of Universalism and Love. The best example of his life-long crusade against social evils was the historic agitation he organized against the inhuman custom of women becoming Sati. When the orthodox Hindus petitioned to Parliament to withhold its approval of Bentinck`s action of banning the rite of Sati, he organized a counter-petition of enlightened Hindus in favour of Bentinck`s action. He was a champion of women`s rights. He attacked polygamy and the degraded state to which widows were often reduced. To raise the status of women he demanded that they be given the right of inheritance and property.
Ram Mohan Roy has had a huge impact in the Indian society over the past century. In 1815 he founded the Atmiya Sabha. In the weekly meetings of the Sabha the members discussed the basic principles of Hinduism. In 1819, he defeated a great scholar named Subrahmanya Sastri on the question of idol worship. Since then the Christian missionaries extended their full support to Ram Mohan Roy. In 1821 William Adam, a Christian missionary began to have faith in the doctrine of Advaita i.e. unity of individual and universal soul. William Adam had close contact with Ram Mohan Roy and he founded the Calcutta Unitarian Committee. Since then the Christian Missionaries parted company from Ram Mohuna and they did not agree with the doctrine of Advaita of which Ram Mohan was a great advocate.
Mahamati Prannathji met many saints and tried to unite them so that they could raise a revolt against the despotic Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. He attended many religious congregations like the Kumbh in Allahabad, Haridwar and tried to convince many Hindu saints that instead of praying to thousands of deities, one should pray to the Supreme Lord, the "Advaita Brahman". In Haridwar, many saints and learned people were impressed by his philosophy. They realized that the time for the incarnation of "Vijayabhinand Budh Ji" had come which signified that satanic instincts of human beings will be ended and all will come under the folds of true religion - which is one and the only one and for all.
Kulandei Francis went to Natrampalayam, a remote rural village in Krishnagiri district where his exposure to the local villagers` miseries proved to be a life-changing experience. In that year he renounced his priesthood. After that in 1979 he founded the Integrated Village Development Project. He educated himself in Social Development and Rural Management from Canada and the Philippines. The Integrated Village Development Project offers training to rural students in enhancing their skills namely training in rural sanitation, rural accountancy, management, giving educational support for students in high schools, scholarships and also in computer skills. Then, with the help of development organizations, he undertook a micro-water shed programme that, over twenty-two years, built three thirty one mostly small check dams that caused beneficial to poor cultivators and their families in sixty villages. Kulandai Francis`s main objective is to eradicate the poverty, illiteracy and other social ills from villages of India.
Frank Anthony managed to secure equal payments for all the Europeans and Indian Commissioned officers in the National Defence Council and nominated reserve seats to the Lok Sabha -Lower House in India`s Parliament-for the Anglo Indians, as a minority community of India. Frank Anthony was against the partition because it would be injurious to the minority communities of India. He also demanded special provision for the Anglo-Indians in the Indian Constitution as the member of the constituent assembly of India. Frank Anthony established the All India Anglo-Indian Educational Trust and served as its chairman. Presently this institution runs five Frank Anthony Public and Junior Schools in Calcutta, Delhi and Bangalore. He was also the chairman of the Indian School Certificate Examination. Frank Anthony launched several schemes to provide scholarships and loans to the Anglo Indian student who are willing to take up Teacher`s Training. As a lawyer he successfully defend Mehr Chand Khanna, the ex-finance minister of North-West Frontier Province in 1952.In 1978 he refused the offer by Indira Gandhi of Governorship of Punjab and the Vice-Presidentship of India to continue social service.
Bala Gangadharanatha Swami is another Indian Social Activist who created a decade of social work to attain betterment for Indians. The mutt witnessed a revolutionary progress under his leadership with several of his flagship projects in education, religion and social service. The seer focused on providing humanitarian services including providing basic necessities like food, education and health for lakhs of people during the last four decades. Seer in his speeches always made it a point to highlight the value of trees and their relevance to the survival of agriculture in this modern age. He was the first person to start a rural medical college at Belur in Mandya district when quality treatment was a dream comes true for the people in villages. Seer who was decorated with doctorate degrees from couple of universities and titles by several organizations both in India and abroad was awarded the Padma bhushana in 2010 by the union government.
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, throughout his life, has worked extensively towards the betterment of Indian society and also helped in making sure that social taboo like the caste system and other superstitions were completely eradicated. He made great contribution towards promotion of education among the needy and poor people, and also worked to make a better society for women. Periyar E. V. Ramasamy worked hard for eradication of caste system from the society.
Bhai Puran Singh as a young man he decided to dedicate his life to the selfless service to the humanity. That is why; he founded Pingalwara in the year 1947 with only a few patients, those who were the neglected and rejected found in the streets of Amritsar. Bhai Puran Singh was an early advocate of Green Revolution that was projected during the time of Indira Gandhi. Bhagat Puran Singh was spreading awareness about environmental pollution, and growing soil erosion long before such ideas became popular. He also used to publish his ideal in the recycled paper. He was a mature environmentalist and visionary. He initiated tree plantation drives, organized talks and lectures on various issues concerning the environment and social life, and also wrote a large number of books regarding the same. Some of his famous works include "Education of man", "Righteousness alone exalts a nation", "Plant or Perish", "The Way," "The Increasing Population", and many others books that projected on the upliftment of Indian Society.
In the 1994 it was the initiative taken by Dr. P.K Gopal which had helped to establish IDEA (Integration, Dignity & Economic Advancement of people affected by leprosy), of which he is the able President. He is also Chairman of the National Forum of Persons Affected by Leprosy. In 1996 he became a member of the Medico-Social Commission of ILEP (The International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations), during which time he published a book called `Guidelines for Socio-Economic Rehabilitation` which is still widely used by organizations around the world. Dr Gopal is the International President of the International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA), which he helped to set up in 1994. This international advocacy and human rights organisation is working hard to end the effects of isolation, stigma and discrimination people affected by leprosy experience, which played a key role in the development of the United Nation`s Guidelines for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy and Their Family Members.
Dr Gopal is the President of the National Forum of Persons Affected by Leprosy. In September 2011 he was part of a delegation that met with the honourable President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil to urge the speedy implementation of recommendations outlined in the Action Taken Report tabled by the Petitions Committee in the House on 22nd November 2010, to empower persons affected by leprosy.
In communication with Mr Douglas Soutar, General Secretary of ILEP, Dr Gopal noted that he has been able to achieve what he has with the support of the ILEP Federation and by ILEP Members, particularly FAIRMED. The Hindu quoted Dr Gopal on 26th January 2012 as saying that the government and NGOs should not dilute their leprosy eradication efforts as new leprosy cases are being reported every year.
Anna Hazare : Anna Hazare in the recent times has attracted the headlines for his protest against the corruption. His demand for the formulation of a separate Lokpal to take care of corruption issues has been successful in striking a chord among the people of the country.
Baba Amte: Baba Amte was an Indian social worker and activist who worked for the empowerment of poor. He was honoured with numerous national and international awards for his selfless service to the society his entire life.
