The Civil Society Hall of Fame is our way of honouring such people – Indians who make a difference without making a fuss. They lead in their everyday lives, doing their bit because it is the right thing to do. They could be doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, activists. They are mostly invisible people, working at ground level and difficult to identify. But in their quiet efforts are the seeds of real change. 

At 27, Sanjay Sahni is an unlikely messiah, but that is what he has become to hundreds of villagers in the Kurhani block in the district of Muzaffarpur in Bihar. It has all happened in the short span of a year, beginning with a chance search on Google for rural work entitlements promised by the government.

Here, in Harmada village, lives a remarkable woman – Naurti Bai – who has been fighting for the rights of women for over 30 years. The feisty Naurti, a Dalit from the Regar caste, is now the sarpanch, presiding over a village dominated by 400 upper caste Jat families.

As news arrives of more than 8,000 children waiting for urgent medical attention in violence hit Lower Assam, an agitated Dr. Chiranjeeb Kakoty expresses anger and helplessness. Local Bodo leaders have told NGOs like his North East Society for the Promotion of Youth and Masses (NESPYM) to stay away.

A small green home in the sleepy village of Golla never sleeps. Harried villagers come knocking on this poor man’s door, often in the dead of the night. Their animal is very sick, they tell Boya Pedda Rajanna as he lets them in. Your healing touch is needed, they plead. Rajanna, Golla’s barefoot veterinarian for 30 years, never lets them down. He disappears into the dark, torch in hand, to reach the suffering animal. 

The warmth of Dr Evita Fernandez’s sunny smile has radiated to thousands of newborn babies. Ask any mother who has delivered her baby under Dr Fernandez’s care and she will tell you she felt special and safe.