Abdul Khalif

Abdul Khalif

Growing up in a relatively well-to-do, but stupendously large joint family in Mangalore with over 300 members, Abdul’s childhood was both a great playground and a place where you could get lost and no one may come looking for you in a while. Then his parents moved out with him and he was one of two children in a nuclear family. The extremes both shaped and affected him — he showed signs of attention-deficit, hyperactivity disorder. He took refuge in painting, cooking and craft.

He completed his graduation, and eight diplomas in various subjects, all the while interning with rights-based groups.

His mammoth family, in its long and complicated history, is both Hindu and Muslim. So, it deeply affected him to see the steep rise in communal violence in Mangalore. He trained as a youth mentor and counsellor to serve in the two warring communities — the Byaris and the Billavas. Restoring peaceful relations between the two, with the help of youth mobilisations, has become his life’s mission.

Asha M.

Asha M.

A Badaga Yerava tribal, Asha grew up in a big household in a small hamlet in Mysore district. Despite financial tribulations, abandonment by her father, and social ostracisation by the community that resisted higher education for girls, Asha and her siblings finished college because of her mother’s determination. Consequently, she emerged as the first post-graduate in her entire community.

She became a Researcher at the Tribal Research Institute Study Centre, an independent arm of the Karnataka Government, to work with forest tribes and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG). Until then, no research worker had stayed in their assigned villages for even a few days. She lived in the study areas for nine months and gathered accurate data, an approach that created a benchmark for her peers.

Today, Asha is the co-founder of the Forest Tribe Student Youths Association that works with dropout students in eight tribal districts — counselling them, and providing them information and academic assistance for higher degrees and diplomas. She also has taken up activism against the corruption in tribal development programmes.

Dilshad Sutar

Dilshad Sutar

Born to farmer parents in a large family, Dilshad had to start working while she was in her late teens. In fact, she put herself through high school and college while working part-time with an NGO, Jagruti, surveying school dropouts and urging them to return to school. During those five years, she closely understood the gaps in the education system. Gradually, her dream mission was shaped — that one day she will work to transform every dysfunctional school in the state of Karnataka.

During graduation, she was given more responsibilities to work in the community, from facilitating basic documentation for Below Poverty Line families for food security, connecting disabled youth with livelihood options, surveying gaps in maternal and neonatal health sector to building awareness against child marriage and voting rights.

She creates impactful campaigns on child rights, organic farming, alcoholism and violence against women.

Jitesh Minj

Jitesh Minj

Jitesh’s dream is to create an awakened citizenry that demands and ensures better governance. Despite being born into a poor indigenous family in Gumla district of Jharkhand, he pursued his education till graduation.

Growing up, he saw his parents help and counsel people in need as best as they could. This provided Jitesh the opportunity to get up close to the people and the issues they faced. Slowly, Jitesh grew into the role of an indigenous rights activist.

He has worked with the Adivasi Sarna Navyuvak Sangh on revitalisation of indigenous language and culture. But he decided to focus on the systemic gaps in our administrative structures that rob citizens of basic rights. Alongwith like-minded activists, he established Mission Badlav. For the past four years, this team has been working as a very successful pressure group for developmental justice. Its work, during the peak of the pandemic — providing food and essential supplies, access to medical care, and even running hearse services for the poorest of the poor — has been very impactful.

Manoj Soy

Manoj Soy

The eldest son in a large indigenous family in Seraikela-Kharsawan district of Jharkhand, Manoj faced the blunt force of poverty at an early age. He was ten when he was sent away to work as a servant in an upper-class household. He worked to his bones in very disrespectful conditions, longing for education, longing for freedom, receiving neither.

After ten years of tolerating all this, he finally quit. He continued to work as a porter, a labourer, and even a factory worker — but a switch had flipped and he was looking at the world in a brave, new way. He began to educate himself and reach out as a youth leader, to people in distress.

Looking at his skills and enthusiasm, the Ho Mahasabha — the apex socio-cultural body of his Ho tribe — approached Manoj to join. At around the same time, he was selected for an extensive exposure by the Bharat Rural Livelihoods Mission. Today, Manoj has emerged as a dependable community leader, working for equitable development, better livelihoods, socio-cultural assertion, and a stronger political voice for his tribe.

M.K.Saheb

M.K.Saheb

A rights activist, M. K. Saheb has a masters degree in Political Science and is pursuing post-graduation in History.

He has successfully fought for public transportation facilities for his community so that they can access healthcare in big hospitals and students can travel with ease to their colleges.

He once heard a talk by writer, artist and poet Poornachandra Tejasvi, who said that freedom to live as we wish is always the result of a terrible struggle, never achieved easily. That talk shaped M. K.’s vision. He works to widen the space for constitutionally acceptable protests. He wants to be an ethical leader — of peaceful positive disruptions.

In his free time, he provides free coaching to the village children and runs a mini library. He is also part of a student union.

Niranjan Dharua

Niranjan Dharua

Niranjan is from a large farming family, from a small village in Odisha’s Kalahandi district. He was the first in his village to pass 10th class. He pursued further studies at the nearest college 10-12 kilometres away, after working to buy a cycle for commuting.

He underwent training as part of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) from the Ministry of Rural Development. After experiencing mismanagement and corruption at various private and government jobs, he was still looking for a platform to pursue his dream – of becoming a good political leader.

He got into the Certificate Programme in Rural Livelihoods (CPRL) from Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation, travelling to seven states and understanding issues of various communities. He has also worked in 20 villages in the tribal areas of Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh.

Niranjan wishes to enter politics to impact governance, while working with the people. So that the voices of India’s remote, undeveloped villages are heard.

Rajesh Kumar

Rajesh Kumar

He was born in Nalanda, Bihar, and in his childhood, moved to Ranchi, Jharkhand. Rajesh was the first person in his family to complete schooling. He self-financed his education up to post-graduation, by selling newspapers for 12 years. During that time, he also created the Morabadi Hawkers Association to fight for the rights of newspaper vendors.

His academic interests took him into teaching, and he became a political science lecturer in a private university. His belief that education must be an inalienable right also connected him with many NGOs working in the space of schooling for children from under-resourced communities.

He joined the Lokpal Movement, aimed to alleviate corruption in the government, in 2012-13 and became part of the Aam Aadmi Party. During his six years there, he worked with the district team, student and youth units and served as the party’s Jharkhand media convenor and spokesperson for three years.

He seeks to be in political office to create a pivotal space for universal education.

Sanjo Kurmi

Sanjo Kurmi

Sanjo was one of seven children of a small farmer couple in Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh. She grew up battling acute economic distress and even dealt with homelessness for a brief period. As a girl child, she was unwanted by her extended family; and her desire for better education went unrecognised. Outside the home, she would witness severe exclusion meted out to her friends, caused by the illegal practice of untouchability; the scars went deep.

When there was no money for college, she found herself a job as a quality department staff member in a factory in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan in 2016. During her two years there, she supported her family and attended college classes.

Upon graduation, Sanjo joined the Samavesh Society for Development in Governance as a field officer to bolster learning outcomes in primary schools. She worked as a bridge to help dropouts, especially adolescent girls and children of migrant workers, return to school.

Sanjo aspires to be in political office to systemically strengthen caste and gender equity.

Vikram Vajir

Vikram Vajir

Hailing from a remote border village in Banaskantha district of Gujarat, Vikram is a school teacher.

After completing his schooling, he moved to Palanpur for graduation in English Literature and Education. It is here that his journey to understand the country began in earnest. He took up teaching for a livelihood, not knowing that it would become a love. He also worked alongside legislator Jignesh Mewani on rural livelihood improvement.

Vikram has extensively campaigned for students’ issues, building awareness and conducting hyper-local outreaches for those who are unable to speak up due to language constraints. He is planning to create a platform where youth can come together and have dialogues on various issues affecting society. And where they can consciously respond to political happenings, on the basis of constitutional values.

Having witnessed how mismanagement of national-level examinations affects the lives of youth, he is working to bring transparency in government entrance exam systems. He has also started a few study circles, including one at his college named ‘Humanist Youth Forum’, for students to share and learn on various topics.