We are what we do. The Civil Society Hall of Fame this year proudly presents six amazing initiatives led by Indians who have chosen to live their lives in action and make a difference by engaging with their immediate realities. They don't claim to be changing the whole wide world. You won't find them in TV studios. Nor are they networked in the viral ways that have come to define instant fame and glory.

You might be tempted to call them 'unsung heroes'. But allow us to clarify that, as we know them, heroism is not their number. Instead, they are quite happy being everyday and below the line. You could say that it is from not wanting to be regarded as special that they get their vision and mission and the space to be effective

The decision to design a mechanical Asu was fraught with uncertainties. But Mallesham stuck to his idea and finally managed to produce the machine.

Chintakindi Mallesham, 39, has revolutionized the way the famous Pochampalli silk sari is made in Andhra Pradesh. He has invented and patented a machine which has cut to one-third the time needed for processing the thread needed for weaving a sari on a loom.

Their rations for rice, sugar and kerosene were stopped, they faced ostracism from the village and were even physically assaulted.

Kong Fatima Mynsong is a teacher.Kong Acquiline Songthiang is also a teacher. Kong Matilda Suting is a housewife. These three women and a village named Jongksha in Meghalaya have a remarkably gutsy story to tell of countering corruption.

Identifying, releasing and rehabilitating bonded labour was to become the toughest phase in Gyarsi Bai's life. But she soldiered on.

Gyarsi Bai belongs to the Sahariya community, one of the most primitive tribal groups in Rajasthan. Mostly settled in Shahbad and Kishangarh blocks of Baran district in Rajasthan, the Sahariyas used to own a fair amount of land. But they had no records to prove their ownership.

Bashir's compassion and his generosity has made him an icon for those who know him. His life is a saga of courage and a strong will to serve.  

A family tragedy became a turning point in Bashir Mir's life. The story of this former truck-driver, now an ardent peace activist, dates to 28 September,1993. On that fateful day his father, Kabir Mir, a civil contractor and an active political worker of the National Conference, was gunned down by a militant outfit in his village Vizer-Wagoora in North Kashmir's Baramulla district.

This journey of questioning and realization has built strong bonds across caste and religion. Urja Ghar is a way of life, a liberal space. The terrace of an innocuous two-storey house in a twisted lane offers a splendid view of the 300 houses that make up Lambadiya in Sabarkantha, a district in north Gujarat. It's quiet and peaceful and you are tempted to think that life here couldn't have changed much even in 100 years.  But then from downstairs comes the sound of laughter and you realize that this is no ordinary house - it's Urja Ghar, or Power House  and there's a little revolution brewing here.

Jayan wants to convert Velukkara into a jackfruit paradise. 'One house, one jack tree' is his dream. About half the homes in his village have a jack tree. Villagers used to call him crazy.

But now a growing number call him mashe or teacher. Kaittally Raman Jayan, 46, like the jackfruit tree he campaigns for, maintains a dignified silence whether he is ridiculed or praised.