India’s silent revolutionaries

From a vigilant passport officer to a tribal woman who has taken on the timber mafia, India’s real hero is the ordinary citizen.

The future of a country is its people and we have seen it. The possibility of a creative relationship between entrepreneurial individuals, activists and the political class was explored at the Hindustan Times conclave on Monday to felicitate 25 change-makers who had turned around local economies, changed existing practices in education, environment and health, and raised issues of human rights — often at great personal cost.

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A new India has thus entered the national lexicon. The ‘Other India’ — not just of deficiency and deprivation — but the ‘Other India of Hope.’

The India Awakened series (January to April) was launched by Hindustan Times with the intent to highlight positivity in the midst of economic gloom and a deteriorating political climate. Tata Tea chose to partner the effort because it “encourages people to see opportunity where others see adversity and stands by its dictum ‘Chai Piyo SochBadlo’,” said Vikram Grover, vice president, marketing, Tata Global Beverages.

A coffee table book, another product of the partnership, was released at the function by chief guest Jairam Ramesh, Rural Development Minister. We bring you the day’s highlights, the ideas exchanged, and the questions raised about future collaborations.