Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra (VGKK)
VGKK is an organisation with a mission of Sustainable development of tribal people through rights-based approaches to health, education, livelihood security and biodiversity conservation. [7] Founded in October 1981 by Dr. Sudarshan, VGKK has worked with tribals in the Chamarijanagar district and Mysore district of Karnataka and also with tribals in the states of Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and has interacted with about 20,000 people. The organisation has always had a tribal youth as its President. Jadeya Gowda, one of the first few children who was taught by Dr. Sudarshan, is the President. He did a graduation and post-graduation in agriculture and has completed his PhD from the [University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore], Presently working as Associate Professor at College of Forestry, Ponnampet.
VGKK runs a 450 pupil school for the tribes of B R Hills where the students are provided education equivalent to that provided in the urban areas. Subjects related to the tribal welfare such as environmental issues, tribal values and culture are also a part of the curriculum. VGKK also has a vocational training institute where 16 crafts are taught. As a result of the efforts of VGKK, about 60% of the Soliga tribe now get a minimum of 300 days of employment per year from the Forest Department of Karnataka and other agencies. [3]
Arunachal Pradesh is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is the state capital.
Chamarajanagar or Chamarajanagara is the southernmost district in the state of Karnataka, India. It was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in 1998. Chamarajanagar town is the headquarters of this district.
Kuppahalli Sitaramayya Sudarshan was an Indian activist and the fifth Sarsanghachalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation from 2000 to 2009.
The Biligirirangana Hills or Biligirirangan Hills is a hill range situated in south-western Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu in South India. The area is called Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary or simply BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a protected reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Being close to the Eastern Ghats as well as the Western Ghats, the sanctuary has floral and faunal associations with both regions. The site was declared a tiger reserve in January 2011 by the Government of Karnataka, a few months after approval from India's National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Mysore district, officially Mysuru district is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mysore division.Chamarajanagar District was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in the year 1998. The district is bounded by Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Mandya district to the east and northeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north.
Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), formerly Bangalore Medical College (BMC), is a medical college run by the Government of Karnataka. It is located on K.R. Road, near City Market. It is a government medical college in Bangalore and one of 10 in Karnataka. BMCRI is an autonomous institution under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Jayanagar, Bangalore.
Sargur, is a small town located about 80 km from the town of Chamarajanagar And a Taluk of Mysore district of Karnataka, India. H D Kote (Heggadadevanakote) is about 12 km north of Sargur. It is 55 km from the city of Mysore. Bangalore International Airport is 200 km away. To be more elaborate, Sargur is 33.8 km from Nanjangud town (Karnataka), 35.1 km from Gundlupet town (Karnataka), 137.8 km from Udagamandalam town (Ooty) Valley and 38.8 km from Hunsur town (Karnataka).
Nittoor Srinivasa Rao or Nittur Srinivasa Rao was a Gandhian who participated in the Indian independence movement. He was the Chief Justice of the High Court of Mysore State and also the first chief of the Central Vigilance Commission of India. He was also chosen as the acting Governor of the Mysore state and was the first person to translate Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography to the Kannada language.
Yemalur is a village, about 14 km from Bangalore city in Southern India. It is situated between the HAL Airport of Bangalore and the Bellandur lake. The village has about 4000 inhabitants. Most of the local people have been living here much before Bangalore became a major city.
The Lokayukta is the Indian Parliamentary Ombudsman, executed into power, through and for, each of the State Governments of India. It is brought into effect in a state, after passing the Lokayukta Act in respective state Legislature and a person of reputable background is nominated to the post. The post is created to quickly address grievances against the working integrity and efficiency of the government or its administration. Once appointed, Lokayukta cannot be dismissed or transferred by the government, and can only be removed by passing an impeachment motion by the state assembly, making it a powerful deterrent against corruption and mal-administration of the governing system.
Gali Janardhana Reddy is an Indian politician and businessman who is the president of Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha
Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM) is a development organization founded by a group of medicos led by Dr R Balasubramaniam based in Saragur near Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka. The organization is engaged in building a new civil society in India through its grassroots to policy-level action in health, education and community development. For tribal They have been recognized by private and government bodies inside and outside of Karnataka. Their work in the field of AIDS prevention was recognized by the Indian government. They received awards such as the 'National Youth Award' from the Indian government, and the Mahaveer Award for work in Community and Social Service from the Mahaveer Foundation.
Karuna Trust (India) is an organization involved with integrated rural development and is affiliated to Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra. Both charities were founded by Hanumappa Sudarshan. The motivation to start this trust was the prevalence of leprosy in Yelandur Taluk of Chamarajanagar district. Another focus area for this trust is education and livelihood improvement.
Dr. Kamini A. Rao is a pioneer in the field of Assisted Reproduction in India. She has specialized in reproductive endocrinology, ovarian physiology and assisted reproductive technology and has been awarded the Padma Sri, one of India's highest civilian awards. Dr. Kamini A. Rao is the medical director at Milann – Centre for Reproductive Medicine.
Dr. Ramaswami Balasubramaniam is a development scholar, author, public policy advocate, leadership trainer known for his pioneering development work with rural and tribal people in Saragur and Heggadadevana kote Taluks of Mysuru in Karnataka, India. He founded Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), a development organization based in Saragur when he was 19. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Grassroots Research And Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), a public policy think tank based out of Mysuru. After spending 26 years in development work among rural and tribal people, he pursued academic degrees in leadership, organisational development and public policy. He was the Frank T Rhodes professor at Cornell University between 2012 and 2014, and continues to hold academic positions in Cornell and other universities. His books 'Voices from the Grassroots' and 'I, the citizen' are compilation of narratives and reflections of a development expert and are now globally acclaimed. His book I, the citizen was released in 2015 by the Prime Minister's office.
Ramadas Panemangalore Shenoy was an Indian defence scientist and writer, known for his contributions in the field of Radar technology. He secured a doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and joined Defence Research and Development Organization in 1961, involving himself with the indigenous development of Radar technology till his retirement, as a Distinguished Scientist, in 1989.
Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy is an Indian Kannada Poet, hailing from Mudnakudu village in Chamarajanagar District of Karnataka. He received Kendra Sahitya Academy award in 2022, for his work "Bahutvada Bhaaratha mattu Bouddha Thaatvikate".
H Sudarshan Ballal is an Indian kidney transplant physician, nephrologist currently director of Manipal Institute of Nephrology and Urology, the chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of Manipal Hospitals Group and Senate Member of Manipal University.
Sathyanarayan Mundayoor also known as Uncle Moosa, Uncle Sir is a educationalist and social activist from India. Born in Kerala, Satyanarayanan has been working in Arunachal Pradesh for the last forty years. He received India's fourth highest civilian honor Padma Shri in 2020 for spreading education in Arunachal Pradesh.
