Changemakers

Once marked by poverty and insurgency, Gumla is now a model district. IAS Sushant Gaurav’s ragi mission empowered 30,000 farmers and boosted nutrition.

For 23 years, Dr Arunoday Mondal has travelled 160 km every weekend to run Sujan, a free clinic in the Sundarbans that treats over 12,000 patients a year.

Journalist Rajan Choudhary used undercover stings to expose illegal sex-selective abortions in Rajasthan, helping improve the state’s child sex ratio and save unborn girls.

Millions go hungry while India wastes tonnes of food daily. Discover these local initiatives, from the Robin Hood Army to Food ATMs and the Mumbai Dabbawalas, that are redirecting surplus food to those in need.

In 1965, Prof V Rajaraman launched India’s first Computer Science course at IIT Kanpur, mentoring pioneers who would go on to build the nation’s IT revolution.

When Rajeev Ranjan left Europe to return to Jharkhand, it wasn’t for comfort — it was to revive tribal art forms like Sohrai, Khovar, and Dokra, empowering over 300 rural women artisans.

In rural Maharashtra, S for Schools is turning classrooms into mobile libraries, giving first-generation learners colourful books and the confidence to dream.

In Kerala, the sea was long reserved for men. KC Rekha defied stigma, picked up the nets, and became India’s first licensed woman deep-sea fisher.

Two Pune doctors left their city to start MASUM — a movement that has empowered over 10,000 rural women to understand their bodies and access reproductive healthcare.

Meet Dr Ranjitsinh Jhala — the man whose vision brought cheetahs back to India and reshaped wildlife conservation.