Ms. Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th and current President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She started her professional career as a practicing lawyer at the Jalgaon District Court in Maharashtra and worked on various social activities, especially, for the uplift of poor women. In Parliament, she was the Deputy Chairperson, Rajya Sabha and also served as the Chairperson, Rajya Sabha for a brief period. Has been associated - as founder, co-founder, chair .... Read More

Mr. Chunibhai Vaidya's name is synonymous with 'Resistance to Justice' and commitment to the cause of social development. After undertaking Sarvodaya publication work for more than 12 years in Varanasi, Chunibhai returned to Gujarat during the Gramdan movement. In the course of a life devoted to social service, Mr. Vaidya has successfully compelled the Rajasthan Government to close down liquor shops, got the Members' of Legislative Assembly (MLA) pension law cancelled .... Read More

Mr. Chewang Norphel is better known as Ladakh’s glacier man, who makes artificial glaciers in winter so that villagers can get water in summer, for their fields. Norphel's innovation came from the fact that the water in the mountain streams generally goes waste in winters, because no crops are possible. The artificial glacier is an intricate network of water channels and dams along the upper slope of the valley at altitudes ranging from 1400 ft and above. The glacial run off is .... Read More

Ms. Shakuntaladevi Choudhary began her social commitment early, taking part in social activities during the freedom movement, while still in school. In 1947, at the invitation of late Amalprabha Das, she joined her at the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust in Assam. Several years of devoted service saw her deep involvement in the training of a large number of gram sevika. As part of the Sarania Ashram, which Shakuntaladevi is associated with, there are 22 Gram Seva Centres spread ove .... Read More

Prof. Lia Diskin is the founder of the Palas Athena Association, a Brazilian NGO dedicated to developing and managing community- oriented programmes. With a view to promote a continuous revival of Gandhi’s ideas and invaluable examples, she has been organizing Gandhi Week every year since 1982 without a single interruption. The themes for reflection and activities are an amazing mix of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, workshops, meditation meetings, art, drama, songs, dance and v .... Read More