Towards understanding grassroots India

I have been involved in efforts from the US and Indian cities to connect with grassroots movements and NGOs in villages of India that work towards sustainable development and social justice. Some of the issues we are working on involve education, health, agriculture, alternate technology, environment and human rights and I will try to give a glimpse on how we all can get more aware and more involved in these.

About the Speaker:

Ravi Kuchimanchi obtained a B.Tech in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, in 1985 and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland in 1995. While a graduate student, Ravi founded the Association for India’s Development (AID) with the idea of creating a channel to connect with the villages of India. After his postdoctoral work, Ravi began to focus his attention on human rights and social justice issues in India such as renewable energy, sustainable livelihoods, and struggles of marginalized people. Ravi received 2018 Andrei Sakharov Prize, the citation of which included "for his continued research in physics while simultaneously advocating for global policies that reflect science". Ravi also received the International Alumnus Award from University of Maryland in 2012, where as AID won the Times of India Social Impact Award in 2011.