Changemakers

It began with one troubled mother walking into a hospital and meeting a couple who simply chose to listen. What followed set the course for Anandgram, a place where 650 HIV-positive children found safety and care far from the fear they once lived with.

A group of Bengaluru students began simple heritage walks to understand their city. What followed was a series of child-led initiatives, from lake awareness drives to clean-ups, literacy programmes, and petitions. In their Children’s Day letter, they share how belonging inspires responsibility.

After a stray dog near his school died in a road accident, 13-year-old Zohar and his classmates worked together to protect the remaining dogs by fitting them with reflective collars. In his Children’s Day letter, he reflects on what this experience taught him and why small actions matter.

A pocket-sized soil testing device, NutriSens is giving farmers real-time insights, cutting fertiliser misuse, empowering rural women entrepreneurs, and putting scientific soil health data in every farmer’s hands.

From working at ISRO to leading a sustainability movement, ex-scientist Pankti Pandey’s ‘ZeroWasteAdda’ is helping 4 lakh Indians make small, mindful changes — from composting and reusing to living more sustainably at home.

Every third ever-married women in India experiences physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their husbands in their lifetime. Despite such atrocious cruelty, many cases go unreported. Prasanna Gettu suggests five ways to foster a culture of respect, equality, accountability, and working towards creating a society where violence is not tolerated.

Online abuse left two women facing fake profiles, morphed images and over a hundred abusive notifications at a time. Their stories show what it feels like to be targeted, why silence deepens the hurt, and how speaking to someone can become the first step toward healing.

Pooja Bangad, co-founder of SheWork, overcame family expectations to change women’s roles in tech. SheWork helps women return to the tech industry after breaks, fights for equal opportunities, and challenges the gender bias that holds women back, empowering them to grow and succeed in their careers.

Priyatama Sharma, a librarian in Bhopal, grew up in a society where girls were considered a burden. She was sexually abused from the ages of 5 to 15. After leaving her family and starting to work, Priyatama realised the importance of education and earned a master's degree. She is speaking up to help people who endured abuse like her.

BookWater, founded by Bharath and Balachander, uses QR codes and IoT sensors to track water quality, reuse cycles, and plastic safety in Chennai’s water cans. With 3000 users and 50000 cans monitored monthly, the startup is improving public health while promoting recycling and sustainable water delivery.