Change is on it’s way. It might be coming slowly, from unlikely places and quietly, but it is coming. Unfortunately, it’s easy to miss these stories. Torn apart by heartbreaking headlines and shocking news everyday, these tales of bravery and human effort go unnoticed.
Here are 10 inspiring stories of people working for a better tomorrow. Have you heard of these news-makers?
1. Man on a mission: “Bhule Bhatke Tiwari” reunites lost Kumbh Mela pilgrims with loved ones
Fondly known as “Bhule Bhatke Tiwari”, Raja Ram Tiwari founded the Bharat Seva Dal and made it his life’s mission to ensure that families found their way back to each other if they were separated at the infamous Kumbh Mela .
The ” khoya paya shivir ” camps set up by Tiwari have helped reunite roughly 1 million adults and 20,000 children with their family members, while simultaneously breaking cliched Bollywood stereotypes.
Read his full story here .
2. Maharashtra’s ‘Mother of Orphans’ adopts over a 1000 children. Have you read Sindhutai’s heartwarming story?
To say that Sindhutai Sapkal has had a hard life would be a gross understatement. Born and brought up in abject poverty, married at 10, abandoned by her husband and her family, Sindhutai hoped that no one would ever suffer the same fate as she did.
An inspiring woman from Maharashtra, she is known as ‘The Mother of Orphans’ today. Mai , as her children call her, has adopted, raised and nurtured over a 1000 orphaned children so that they may, one day, fulfill their dreams.
Read Sindhutai’s inspirational story here .
3. Meet the man who started India’s sanitary napkin revolution. His dream? Affordable, hygienic napkins for all
A true visionary, Arunachalam Muruganantham began the sanitary pad revolution in India. Venturing dangerously close to a topic most men steer clear off, he was shocked when he discovered that women in rural India cannot afford hygienic sanitary napkins. Instead they are forced to use cloth, sand, leaves and even ash!
Today, Muruganantham has developed a low cost, functional and affordable sanitary napkin. He aims to make India a 100% sanitary napkin country.
Read about his incredible journey here .
4. Writer, artist and cartoonist Aabid Surti wages war against water wastage; fixes leaking taps in Mumbai. For free
Aabid Surti is a renowned writer, painter and cartoonist. He’s also a part-time water warrior. Every Sunday, this national award winner visits homes in Mumbai’s Mira Road suburb and fixes leaking taps, for free.
Water wastage is one of the most widespread issues facing the country today. And Surti is doing all he can to combat it. He has, thus far, fixed leaking taps in 10,000 homes and saved millions of litres of water. Surti runs the Drop Dead Foundation and is determined to save every last drop.
Find out about Surti’s battle to save water here .
5. Gang-rape survivor Sunitha Krishnan champions the cause of rehabilitation of trafficked women
Sunitha Krishnan was gang-raped when she was 15. Today, she runs an organisation that works for the care and rehabilitation of trafficked women. ‘Prajwal’ was established by Krishnan in 1996 and, since then, she has rescued at least 8000 women.
Sunitha receives death threats and has been physically assaulted for her work. However, she stands firmly for the cause. Krishnan hopes to, one day, be able to stigmatise rapists and stop victim shaming in the country.
Read about Sunitha and Prajwala here .
6. Shopkeeper turned teacher, Rajesh Kumar Sharma runs his school from under a metro bridge
Rajesh Kumar Sharma was forced to abandon his education due to financial difficulties. Today, he has assumed the role of a teacher for 39 impoverished children, who currently attend his school in Delhi.
A school that Rajesh runs from underneath a DMRC bridge.
So far, Sharma has taught about a 140 students and nearly half of them have been able to move on to government schools.
Learn about Rajesh and his unconventional school here .
7. Village sarpanch, Neelam, sheds ghunghat and works for women empowerment in Chappar, Haryana
Chappar village in Jind district, Haryana has a strong-willed and determined woman for a sarpanch. Neelam (31) works towards empowering women and challenging gender biased traditions.
Under Neelam’s rule, the women of the village have shunned the ghunghat and celebrate the birth of a child with sweets and festivities, regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl.
Read about how change really does begin with one person here .
8. Unsung man of the millenium, Kalyanasundaram donated his entire life’s savings towards education and upliftment in India
Kalyanasundaram is a librarian with a Masters in Literature and History and an unlikely hero. This man has donated all of his life’s earnings to orphanages and the cause of education in India.
He parted with his salary every month and, also, with an unbelievable Rs 30 crore prize without so much as a second thought, in his endeavour to serve humanity.
Read his story here .
9. Steely mountaineer Mamta Rawat carried on with Uttarakhand floods rescue mission, even after losing everything herself
Mamta Rawat is a mountaineer trained by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarakashi. When she was called on for a search and rescue mission, as the Uttarakhand floods ushered in a wave of destruction, she did not hesitate for a second.
Despite the fact that her own home had been washed away.
Read Mamta’s story of incredible bravery here .
10. Dr. Prakash Amte: Aide for tribals, messiah for the needy
This doctor gave up a lucrative career to turn his attention to the problems plaguing our society. Dr. Amte was saddened by the extreme poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition rampant in rural India and decided to do his bit.
He works for tribal development, offering a wide variety of services to tribal communities in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. His project, Lok Biradari Prakalp, has grown into a residential school, a hospital and an orphanage for injured wild animals.
Dr. Prakash Amte’s story can be read here .
It was about time we learnt of the good people of India too, right?
Do you know of any inspiring Indians who make India a better place to live? Write in and let us know.