We are pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Bapu and Vinoba National Service Awards awarded by Snehalaya to those making a difference to our society. Chosen by leaders in our organisation, the award selection committee included Mrs Jaya Jogdand, Rajiv Gujar, Rajiv Kumar Singh, Dr Priti Bhombe, Anil Gawde and Bhushan Deshmukh.
Snehalaya has been giving awards to dedicated activists and organisations in the social sector since 1995. The aim is to provide social recognition to the work of the organisations, provide multifaceted support and create a network of mutual cooperation.
Since 2020, the trustees of our Ba, Bapu and Binoba Awards, Kiriti Shamkant More and Mrs. Bharati More from Pune have been providing financial support for these awards, now in their fifth year. Through them, Snehalaya creates a permanent connection between donors and activists and this year the awards are also taking place during a unique NGO training camp with over 30 NGO leaders present.
Chief Guest for the ceremony was Dr V Premnath, founder of Venture Center, a pioneering initiative to make the lives of Indians more peaceful and comfortable through the use of advanced technology. After completing his graduation from MIT in the USA, Premnath proved himself in the global business world. He has been contributing to our nation building by establishing venture centers in India for over one and a half decades.
The winners are…
Ba Award (in memory of the serviceman Smt Sitabai Mandhare) - Mrs Hemanti Paul Sarkar, Founder of Ishva Foundation, Hyderabad, Telangana
Mrs Haimanti Sarkar left her job in the IT sector 12 years ago. Inspired by the Balbhavan project of Snehalaya for children in slums, she started working with 2,500 students aged 9 to 21 in government schools in Hyderabad. She established 16 transformation centers to make their education enjoyable, adding arts, sports and employment skills, and improve their quality of education. She has been supported by around 200 volunteers in this inspiring work.
Bapu Award (in memory of the freedom fighter and former MLA Shyamkant Damodar More) - Mrs Aarti Kumari, Director, Breakthrough Foundation, Delhi & Haryana
Originally from Bihar by way of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, Aarti worked for a decade and a half with organisations such as Pradan and Oxfam India for the protection and empowerment of farmers, tribals and rural women. Currently, she runs the activities of Break Through, an organization for the educational, mental and personality development of adolescent boys and girls in the state of Haryana and Delhi.
Vinoba Award (in memory of the exemplary former Sarpanch of Shikrapur in Pune district, Late Raosaheb Patilbuwa Mandhare) - Sanjay Dalmiya, Founder, Open Links Foundation and Vinoba App, Pune
Hon. Sanjay Dalmia is a distinguished social impact entrepreneur and the visionary founder of Open Links Foundation (OLF), established in 2017. With a robust corporate background of over 25 years in banking and fintech, he has dedicated himself to addressing the critical challenges in school education in India, inspired by the teachings of Gurucharan Das.
Under his leadership, OLF has developed innovative educational tools such as the Vinoba Teacher Assistant App, which has effectively transformed teaching and learning in Zilla Parishad schools across Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. By fostering collaboration among educators, administrators, and government authorities, Dalmia has successfully motivated over 125,000 teachers across 37,000 schools in 22 districts to embrace technology for enhanced educational outcomes. His efforts are leading to a silent revolution in the education sector, akin to the Bhudan Movement, and have garnered interest from other states like Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
Congratulations to all winners – you truly are an inspiration.
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