Maharashtra

Maharashtra-based Mohammed Dilawar, a sparrow conservation activist, and his team have restored 400 species of native plants, which they have planted across 20,000 acres. The beauty of these plants is that all of them are indigenous alternatives to non-native ones, helping keep the ecological balance in check.

Savita Labhade from Nashik only found out about the debt her husband was under a year after he died. For six years since then, she worked hard to find different ways to earn a living and finance her children’s education, by starting a spice business, and opening Sadhana General Store

In the 80s, Pune-based Jayant Barve’s business of manufacturing and selling chemical fertilisers was thriving. Today, he has switched to producing organic manure through his venture, Nature Care Fertilizer, which is also in demand in Kenya and Namibia

Popatrao Funde and his wife, Anuradha, are teachers at two Zila Parishad schools in Maharashtra. But that hasn't stopped them from reaching out to the needy.

At Pune’s La Kheer Deli, Shivang and Shivika Sood combine their mother Sonia’s traditional recipe of kheer with a pudding like consistency, and offer a variety of flavours such as nutella, brownie, chocolate, oreo, and gulkand

Inspired by William Laurie Baker, Maharashtra-based ABHA Architecture, by Praveen and Vidya, uses eco-conscious material palettes and passive cooling strategies to build cost-effective, durable and disaster-resistant homes.

Dr Ujjwal Chavan, Joint Commissioner of Income Tax, Mumbai, has run a massive water conservation initiative to rejuvenate the river and improve groundwater tables in several Maharashtra villages, including Dhamangaon, where he is originally from. His efforts have benefited around 30,000 farmers so far.

Shraddha Dhawan from Nighoj village in Ahmednagar scaled the family dairy business, selling 450 litres of milk from milking 80 buffaloes in a two-storey cattle shed

70-year-old Kanchan Parulekar helms Swayamsiddha, a Kolhapur-based organisation that, in the last 28 years, has worked to create women entrepreneurs. The businesses range from bakeries to food processing units, bag manufacturing units, beauty parlours and handicrafts.

Hindustani Classical vocalist Hirabai Barodekar of the Kirana Gharana was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan and paved the way for female artists at a time when they were not allowed to perform on stage. Her immense talent and popularity earned her several awards and disciples, including Padma Shri winner Prabha Atre, Vrinda Limaye, Bakul Pandit, Saraswati Rane and many more.