Unsung Heroes

Best of 2021: These are the stories which saw hundreds of emails and comments, with many choosing to make changes in their own lives, thanks to what they read here.

As the country marks its 75th Independence Day, Dr Alagappa Chettiar’s grandson, Dr Ramanathan Vairavan, sits down to honour his grandfather, a man whose contributions to a newly-Independent India have been monumental.

Ashish Thakur, a banker from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, has dedicated half of his life to burying and cremating the abandoned dead with dignity and respect through his NGO Moksha. He talks about how he maintains hope in such a grueling line of work and the lessons he has learnt.

In 2018, Baskar N (42), a resident of Chennai converted his passenger auto into an exclusive ambulance for stray animals, and named it ‘Help Voiceless’.

Ruchi Ram Sahni was a prominent scientist from undivided Punjab, as well as a teacher, meteorologist, physicist, and member of the Brahmo Samaj. Known for being one of the earliest promotors of Punjab as a science hub, lesser known are his contributions in saving thousands of lives in Orissa, and how he was never given credit for it due to his race.

Rozy Saldhana (51), a resident of Mumbai, was put on dialysis due to kidney failure five years ago. Today, even as she fights for her life, she spared her oxygen cylinder and sold her jewellery to help others ailing from the coronavirus.

For the past 30 years, Rajaram Joshi, a fisherman from Mumbai, has dedicated his life to saving others who don't wish to live. But sometimes, his noble feat endangers his own life while he saves strangers.

Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, a renowned British scholar, talks about an unnamed and unsung African woman who fought in Sikandra Bagh in Lucknow during the Revolt of 1857 and killed a number of British soldiers before being shot.

Joseph Madiath was a mere boy of six when he organised the labourers at his father’s rubber plantation. And he hasn't stopped since!

“I want to continue digging ponds no matter how old I get,” says the inspiring crusader who treats the ponds like his family members.