A humble endeavour: Sri Sathya Sai University facilitates samaritans who brought a positive change in the society

The Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence instituted the fourth edition of Sri Sathya Sai Award for Human Excellence as a humble endeavour to appreciate individuals who have served mankind in various fields. The 2019 awardees: Education: Gitanjali JB, founding member and CEO of Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh; Environment : Wilma Rodrigues, founder of Saahas Zero Waste; Health: Chethan Manchegowda, founder of Khoon; Music and fine arts: Himanshu S, founder of Dharavi Art Room; Unity of religions: Hindu Seva Pratishthana, an organisation that renders selfless service in domains like rural development, literacy and eradication of untouchability; Women and child welfare: Anju Verma, founder of Buland Udaan; and Sports: Mahantesh GK, founder of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled and Cricket Association for the Blind in India.

Making a difference

Gitanjali JB’s yearning to contribute towards transforming the current education system into a vital force of joyful learning, led her towards the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL) in 2017. Rodrigues’s Saahas Zero Waste manages 53 tonnes of waste across the country every day, resulting in a reduction of 12,400 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Meanwhile, Manchegowda’s blood donations organisation, Khoon, has a network of 40 members and over 300 volunteers from across the country.


With the intention of empowering the children of Dharavi to express themselves through art, Himanshu S began the Dharavi Art Room in 2005. Another winner, the Hindu Seva Pratishthana, envisions a self-reliant society where people are able to take care of social issues locally.

Verma founded her own NGO called Buland Udaan, solving almost 1,000 child atrocity cases, rescuing over 700 children from child labour by enrolling them into schools and stalling 15 child marriages. Mahantesh, meanwhile, founded the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, an NGO that supports the visually impaired, disabled and underprivileged, by providing quality education, accommodation, nutritious food, vocational training and placement-based rehabilitation.