Tamil Nadu

For two decades, Rajeshwari and N Ramamurthi have been providing a home to leprosy patients, abandoned elders and others in need in Tamil Nadu.

Since 2011, Se Gunasekar, a lawyer from Tamil Nadu, has run Adhalinal Kadhal Seiveer — an NGO that works for the safety and welfare of inter-caste couples across the state.

Krishnan Subramanian and Gowri Gopinath quit their jobs to return to Madurai and start YellowBag, an eco-friendly venture that sells the traditional Manjapai, or yellow bags, to encourage people to switch to cloth bags.

S Sumathi, a teacher from Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, took up the herculean task of renovating this anganwadi. From painting it and setting up a fence to growing a nutrition garden - she bore the expenses herself.

Kiru Maikkapillai from Salem, Tamil Nadu, sells value-added products made out of turmeric via his startup The Divine Foods.

Chennai-based artist B Gowtham started the Walk for Plastic Initiative to collect tonnes of waste across cities and countries including Philippines, Malaysia, South Africa, the USA and the UK

Deepika Ravi from Karur, Tamil Nadu, sells value-added moringa edibles and beauty products. Here’s the story behind her startup, The Good Leaf.

With banana leaves, wheat and rice bran, millet waste and more, Coimbatore entrepreneur Kalyana Kumar has innovated machinery that can churn out eco-friendly and biodegradable single-use cutlery and containers.

Tamil Nadu-based architect Sivapriya Vinithkumar started Fusion Fluids with her husband Vinithkumar. They brew a tea out of raspberry, gooseberry and fenugreek, which is an alternate for caffeinated drinks and green tea.

Chinnathambi from Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu, makes 600-800 dosas daily. He also serves idli, parotta, uttapams and omelettes with free side dishes up till midnight.