Shruti Nagvanshi

Shruti Nagvanshi is a women‘s and child‘s rights activist and an advocate for marginalized groups in India, including the untouchable caste known as dalit and rural women. She is one of the founding members of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) and a founder of Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat, a women’s forum. She has worked with several other projects to empower minorities.[1][2][3][4]

Shruti Nagvanshi
श्रुति नागवंशी
Born (1974-01-02) 2 January 1974
Varanasi, India
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipIndian
EducationBachelor degree in social science, Hindi and Ancient History (1995)
Alma materUdai Pratap Autonomous College , Varanasi
OccupationSocial activist
Known forPeople's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR)
Spouse(s)Lenin Raghuvanshi
ChildrenKabeer Karunik
Parent(s)Lallan Singh (Father)
Late Urmila Singh (Mother)
AwardsRex Karmveer Chakra(silver), 100 women of India,JanMitra Award
Websitehttp://www.pvchr.asia/ http://www.pvchr.blogspot.com/ http://shrutinagvanshi.com/

She founded the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) in 1996, with her husband Lenin Raghuvanshi, historian Mahendra Pratap, musician Vikash Maharaj, and poet Gyanedra Pati. Both she and Lenin are converts to Buddhism.[5][6] She nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to combat masculinity driven militarist traditions, & for her contribution to bettering conditions for peace in world and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of masculinity driven militarist traditions as a weapon of war and conflict.[7]

Personal life

Shruti Nagvanshi was born on 2 January 1974 in Dashashwmedh area of Varanasi district in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Immensely inspired by her mother’s encouragement for better education she overcame all hurdles in life to be a graduate. She got married to Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi on 22 February 1992.[8] Their only son Kabeer Karunik takes great interest in snooker. At present, he plays snooker at the national level.[9]

Initial Years

Once she came out of the house for attending college education, she could realize how lack of opportunities restricts human desire to achieve anything in life. It was this self-belief which generated courage within herself to participate in social work, learn and be aware of what is happening around us. Again her mother remained as a truly inspiring person to help others grow. She became part of several local level social work programmes and later became involved in Uttar Pradesh chapter of United Nations Youth Organisation. Marriage in an orthodox hierarchy conforming family helped her to understand the mind of caste from close proximity. With the formation of JMN/PVCHR she decided to marry to her passion and never said no to walk kilometers on foot to reach to the interior villages habituated by the untouchables.[10][11]

Anti-caste work

She is involved in building relations between various communities through modelling and teaching awareness of individual rights and the rule-of-law. Her organization PVCHR, focused on the reconciliation between the historically marginalized and historically privileged, represents a secular and right-leaning wing of the larger anti-caste activist movement. Nagvanshi believes the very thought that they can fight against injustice is empowering. This pursuit of empowerment brought structural changes in her adopted villages and intervention areas. Her work has lead to increased accessibility to health, education, livelihood and welfare services. Many people from upper castes in India are beginning to embrace an inclusive society.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

On malnutrition and children's right to survival

In 2017, she and her team at JanMitra Nyas chose 50 villages and some slums in the most marginalised communities in four blocks of the Varanasi district to work on the issue of children’s health with the support of Child Rights and You (CRY). Maternal, neonatal, and malnourished death declined in these communities.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

Recognition

She was appointed as a jury member by the Youth Ki Awaaz Awards along with feminist activist Kamla Bhasin and others.[25] Shruti received the Rex Karmveer Chakra (silver) in 2019.[26][27]  Indian poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar honored her with the Jan Mitra Award in 2000 at Kabeer Mela (Kabeer festival) to recognize her extraordinary work for communal harmony and promotion of Kabir teaching.[28] She was awarded the Top 100 Women Achievers of India in 2016 by the union ministry of women and child development (MWCD) and Facebook jointly in the category of ‘Access to Justice Protecting Women and their rights'.[29] She received the Tilaka Manjhi National award with Lenin Raghuvanshi by the Ang Madad Foundation, an NGO based in Bhagalpur, Bihar for her work on Dalit women right.[30] Two Dalit rights activists from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Mrs Shruti Nagvanshi and Mr Lenin Raghuvanshi have been mentioned to “21st Century Heroes of India” from the perspective of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and other Indian Constitutional Values by Pippa Rann Books & Media, based in the United Kingdom.[31][32]

Literary and academic contribution

Shruti frequently contributes articles to newsletters and online websites.[33][34] Her latest book with academician Dr.Archana Kaushik is Margins to Centre Stage: Empowering Dalits in India.[35]

References
  1. "Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) Project in Uttar Pradesh". Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  2. Nagvanshi, Shruti. "Towards Building A Vibrant and Resilient Community Against Hunger And Malnutrition | Outlook Poshan". poshan.outlookindia.com. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  3. "This Community Kitchen In Kashi Is Preparing Dishes Of Social Justice". Youth Ki Awaaz. 26 April 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  4. Bose, Tarun Kanti. "UP's Musahars face such intense discrimination that even healthcare is denied to them". Scroll.in. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  5. "Dalit activist Lenin Raghuvanshi gets award for making a 'difference'". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  6. "Tireless Service to Humanity". Deed Indeed Foundation. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  7. http://www.nobelwill.org/index.html?tab=11
  8. https://www.differenttruths.com/governance/dissent/lenin-my-friend-empowering-the-marginal-restoring-dignity/
  9. https://lenin-shruti.blogspot.com/2019/09/kabeer-karunik-professional-journey.html
  10. https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20090420-mobilise-and-empower-739488-2009-04-10
  11. https://mattersindia.com/2020/10/varanasi-ngo-empowers-first-generation-learners/
  12. Rinker, Jeremy A. Identity, Rights, and Awareness: Anticaste Activism in India and the Awakening of Justice through Discursive Practices (Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding in Asia). ASIN B07HSSQX86.
  13. "Jeremy A. Rinker, "Identity, Rights, and Awareness: Anticaste Activism in India" (Lexington, 2019)". 14 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  14. Kaushik, Archana; Raghuvanshi, Lenin; Panda, Mohanlal (27 June 2018). Consciousness-Raising. Routledge. pp. 14–18. doi:10.4324/9781315107851-2. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  15. Kaushik, Archana (1 January 2016). Margins To Centre Stage Empowering Dalits in India. ISBN 9789381043196.
  16. "Contemporary Voice of Dalit". SAGE Journals. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  17. Kaushik, Archana (1 November 2018). "From Hunger Deaths to Healthy Living: A Case Study of Dalits in Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh, India". Contemporary Voice of Dalit. 10 (2): 173–181. doi:10.1177/2455328X17744623. S2CID 158971200. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via SAGE Journals.
  18. "UP's Musahars face such intense discrimination that even healthcare is denied to them". Scroll Newspaper. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  19. "राहुल गांधी – नरेंद्र मोदी कुपोषण से बच्चों की मौत के लिए ज़िम्मेदार कैसे हैं?". BBC Hindi. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  20. "How To Bring Nutrition And Menstrual Care To Varanasi's Women And Children". Youth Ki Awaaz. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  21. "Kitchen Gardens - The Way To Fight Hunger And Malnutrition". Outlook Magazine. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  22. "CHILD MALNOURISHMENT IS A PREVENTABLE PANDEMIC". CRY. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  23. "Focus On Adolescent Girls, Kitchen Gardens Helping Musahar, Nut Communities in Varanasi". Outlook Magazine. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  24. "जर्मनी के सहयोग से बनारस में खुला परिवार स्वास्थ्य एवं पोषण परामर्श केंद्र". Patrika Hindi Newspaper. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  25. "First Ever Youth Ki Awaaz Awards 2019: Apply Now". Youth Ki Awaaz. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  26. Bhadouriya, Avinash (27 August 2019). "बनारस की बेटी श्रुति नागवंशी को मिलेगा रेक्स कर्मवीर चक्र". Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  27. "बनारस की बेटी श्रुति, रेक्स कर्मवीर चक्र सम्मान के लिए चुनी गईं". Patrika News. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  28. Rights, People's Vigilance Committee On Human (11 January 2018). "Jan Mitra Award to Shruti Nagvanshi". Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  29. "MWCD's women achievers from Varanasi | Varanasi News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  30. https://mattersindia.com/2020/09/two-dalit-activists-to-receive-awards-for-social-work/
  31. https://mattersindia.com/2020/09/two-dalit-rights-activists-nominated-to-21st-century-heroes-of-india/
  32. https://pipparannbooks.com/21st-century-heroes-of-freedom-and-other-indian-constitutional-values/
  33. "Articles by Shruti Nagvanshi". www.outlookindia.com. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  34. "Shruti Nagvanshi". Youth Ki Awaaz. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  35. "Front Page » Blog Archive » Margins to Centre Stage: Empowering Dalits in India". Retrieved 26 July 2020.
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