A Nation of Change Makers
No one is too small to make a difference. Let’s meet some heroic individuals and communities who are making the world a better place
By Sumi Thomas, Aatika H Jain & Christina Tom Jose
As a country, India has a million stories to tell, of its culture, diversity, and most of all, perhaps, of sheer resilience, of fighting against the odds. It is strange then, that the stories we often hear are the depressing ones, of poverty, of disintegrating social welfare, of crime and violence. And doubtless, many of us would have opened the morning newspapers and felt that we are living in a dystopian world, where nothing is right, and nothing can go right.
Who will tell the stories of the things that do go right, though? Of lone crusaders who work tirelessly to bring about change? About the doctor in Haryana who fought the bane of female foeticide, and brought about such a staggering change in her village that even the UN sought her insight on the issue? About the Millet Man of India, who is spreading awareness about bringing Indians back to what should be their rightful, native staple diet? About the triple amputee fitness coach, who is entering the Limca Book of Records for an astounding bungee jump? About the young man who is saving Bengaluru’s lakes, or the other committed young man who has dedicated his life to educating children in hard-to-reach, rural Assam? Or about the small collective in Kerala, which has changed around a vast wasteland filled with rubble and trash in their home panchayat into paddy and vegetable fields that follow sustainable agricultural practices? And while on the subject of farming, we cannot miss out on the woman who is leading a vast brigade of farmers towards an independent future by conserving India’s indigenous seeds.
There are stories aplenty of positivity, of happiness, of hope. Of people who have dared, alone and in groups, to stand up and be the change. Let us meet a handful of inspiring change-makers in the pages ahead. And let them inspire you on your journey, knowing that each one of you can make a difference.
- Reseeding the country
- Saving the girl child
- Disability No Bar For This Superhero
- The Lake Man of Bengaluru
- Sign of Change
- Reviving an ancient superfood
- Little drops make the ocean
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