For few years the second largest democracy of the world is being plagued by some of the gravest social concerns which irrespective of their political nature and influences on the civil society at a larger scale, are at the same time potential enough to bring large scale changes in the social makeup of the population in many ways. In this light of potential social change and transformation of social values we must feel indebted to some of India's most uncommon social activists who have brought forward either a new force of evaluation of social values or just strengthened our traditional social values at our roots from within. Their ways of waging war against the discriminations, abuses, inhuman practices have always been uncommon and creative and at the same time passionately touching to millions of people who have been the torch bearers of their dream. Here we introduce some of India's most uncommon social activists as per their life, values and epitomized influences on people.
1. Jayprakash Narayan
No social activists in the post independence era have been as influential as this great public hero who fathered the socio political movement involving rural peasants and civic intelligentsia under the same umbrella. His famous movement against the autocratic and oppressive era of Emergency under the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi in 1970s earned him the accolade as Lok Nayak or People’s Hero. Instead of just waging a political struggle against the autocratic maneuvers of 'Emergency' he called for a total revolution to put an end to elitism, political hypocrisy and discrimination in all sphere's of society. Given his wide ranging influence on the political consciousness of India he was awarded the Magasaysay Award for public service in 1965 and was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna, India's recognition for highest civil honor in the year 1999. The peaceful movement waged by him and his followers almost immediately became an epoch to be remembered for the generations to come.
2. Baba Amte
There are not many prodigies in this small world of ours who can equal the feats of this great social reformer who being a non medical person has been awarded the maximum number of medicine awards for his invaluable contribution in the field of rehabilitation and empowerment of poor leprosy suffering population in remote villages of India. Dr Murlidhar Amte who is popularly known as Baba Amte was also the frontline figure in the famous environmental and ecological movement called Narmada Bachao Andolan. He also devoted his time for the welfare and cultural preservation of the Gond tribe in Gadchiroli District. As recognition to his great social works and commitment to environment and people he has been awarded Ramon Magasaysay Award, Padma Bhusan, Padma Shri and Gandhi Peace Prize.
3. Medha Patkar
Without this non-compromising, motherly figure of India's social movements and activism we just cannot conclude our enumeration of India's most uncommon social activists. She has been the leading figure in India's most famous environmental and ecological movement – Narmada Bachao Andolan. Being the daughter of a social activist mother and trade union activist father, Medha did not have to go any further to earn his first schooling on social commitment. She studied social science in Tata Institute of Social Science and just before completing her PhD joined the Narmada Bachao Andolan and soon became the principal figure in voicing ecological and social concerns against the manipulative forces of capital and its unholy nexus with India's opportunist ruling class. In her unleashing of activism Medha was always simplistic and Gandhian in nature and always enjoyed the popularity for her caring, almost motherly involvement in their struggle for self preservation. For close to three decades she has been active in movements against land acquisition of poor people by billion dollar SEZs or against human rights violation by the state machinery involved in riots against religious minority or against discrimination against tribes in India's jungle ridden areas. She alone is named as the alternative views on so called growth and liberalization as proclaimed by the political class. She has been awarded an array of awards on social reformation, environmental contribution and issues related to human rights.
4. Anna Hazare
This eighty plus social leader has many accolades but his recent struggle as the epitomized figure of the India's anti-corruption movement earned him a social recognition much similar to the father of nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Like most of the social activists of highest influence in the post independence era Anna is also peaceful in his maneuvers of waging the movement, but unlike many of his contemporaries his success can be attributed to his shrewdness as a tactician and his iron determination to stick to his stands against all the odds. For most of his life he has been a rural social reformer involved in rural development until he began to voice the concerns on governmental transparency, official corruption and mechanism to control such discrepancies at the administrative level. With his frequent hunger strikes, grass root level movements and non-compromising standpoint Anna already became the torch bearer of India's movement against administrative corruption. In spite of his credential as the leading figure in India’s movement against corruption, several times his claim as the secular leader has been questioned by many influential activists and intelligentsia for some of his communal views and associations with right wing fundamentalists.
5. Sundarlal Bahuguna
This great social activist from the Garhwal Himalaya is named as the pioneer of India's environmental and ecological movement. This ardent follower of Satyagraha and non-violence principle of Gandhi was the leading figure behind the Chipko movement for the cause of preservation of forests in the foothills of Garhwal Himalaya. He also headed the anti-Tehri dam movement for the preservation of river, nature and life. For his lifelong contribution to the causes of nature and life he has been awarded the Padma Bibhusan Award, India's second highest civilian honor.
6. Arundhati Roy
Among the social activists there are few who are less known for their mass mobilizing power in shaping a movement, but more known for their intellectual commitment and involving discourse that make the socio political situation intellectually implicit and transparent to a larger audience. This noted writer who has been the first Booker Prize winner from India is considered among the India's most uncommon social activists solely for this reason. For close to one and half decade she has been the spokesperson in the country's intelligentsia brigade in the fight against social discrimination, human rights violation, aboriginal rights violation, communalization and neo-liberal maneuvers against the oppressed sections of the society.
7. Teesta Setalvad
In the modern history of India the riot of Gujarat is probably one of the black periods that helped to country's image as a secular nation. The riot was allegedly coordinated by the then Chief minister of the state, Narendra Modi and Teesta was in the frontline of the petitioners against Modi. Following the long and strenuous legal battle spearheaded by Teesta and her organization Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) till date four riot leaders have been convicted including Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi. Apart from several human rights award she has also been awarded Padma Shri, one of the top civil awards for her contribution to public life.
8. Swami Agnivesh
This saffron clad straight forward man might have hurt the sentiments of religious fundamentalists for his outrageous comments on so called sacred sites and pilgrimages but he has always been known for his uncanny knack in speaking out the truth for the proliferation of justice, rights and abolition of blindness and this is the sole reason his name is just irreplaceable from the list of India's most uncommon social activists. When he told that the Puri Jaganath Temple should be opened for non-Hindu communities as well, it infuriated the fundamentalists and again when he told that the celebrated Amarnath Shiv Linga is just a natural phenomenon and nothing but a piece of ice, once again the religious fundamentalists got furious. Apart from his lifelong campaign against religious fundamentalism, he is a noted social worker for his works against bonded labor, female foeticide and many other forms of social discriminations.
9. Binayak Sen
No social activists in the recent times has been put to such a torture by the government as this humble physician who with all the good wills for the poor and impoverished only tried to render his service among the people of remote Chattisgarh in the jungle ridden villages which repeatedly take headlines thanks to Maoist insurgents. While providing his service to the people of Chattisgarh villages he was wrongly accused by the state government for his association with the left wing hardliners and only after strenuous legal battle and pressure from intelligentsia from different parts of the world he had been freed from the shackles of prison. This public health specialist is also the vice president of the eminent human rights organization, People's Union for Civil Liberties or PUCL. He has been the winner of several Indian and international human rights prize including Gandhi Peace Prize.
10. Keeran Vedi
Yes, among the India's most uncommon social activists we are introducing here she is the only activist who belonged to the elite administrative class. Being an IPS (Indian Police Service) officer for the most part of her life she is known for her reformation drive in the police and overall system of criminal proceedings and treatment. She is unique solely for her criticism and plea for the reformation the system while being part of it. Apart from her contribution in making the jails and reformatories a better place for the convicts and for fare policing practices, she is also known for voicing the gravest social concerns such as corruption, governmental transparency and right to information. In 1994 she has been awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award for her contribution to government service.
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