Set up on the 24th of October, 1994 Charkha a voluntary, non-government organisation was born with the realisation that developmental issues pertaining to rural India were not receiving adequate coverage in mainline media.
Through the use of various tools of communication, Charkha serves as a dynamic link between grassroots activists, rural India, NGOs, and the mainstream media. It is a Charkha priority that constructive and positive aspects of all developmental work are duly covered by both national and regional media. Charkha focuses attention on the underprivileged and marginalised whose cause is often overlooked and whose voice remains unheard.
Founder
Born in 1959 at Nagpur, Sanjoy Ghose (PRM 1) spent his childhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
On July 4, 1997, Sanjoy was abducted from the riverine island of Majuli, by ULFA militants. He was never to be found again.
A sensitive child, he was disturbed by the inequities of Indian Society at a very young age and this motivated him towards becoming a catalyst for social change. His father recalls, " As a school going boy he spent two nights in a Bombay (presently Mumbai) slum in torrential rain just to get a feel of the real problems that plague slums." Adds " When we were dissuading Sanjoy from going to the terrorism-ridden Assam, he replied, "then whose son will you send ?"
Background:
- Graduate from Elphinston College, Mumbai, with specialization in Rural Development.
- Post graduate degree in Rural Management from IRMA [Institute of Rural Management] in Anand, Gujarat.
- M.Sc. in Agronomy [agricultural economics] from Oxford University, United Kingdom with an INLAKS Scholarship.
- Masters in Public Health, Johns Hopkins, USA as a Hubert Humphrey Fellow.
- Founder Secretary and Trustee, URMUL Rural Health Research & Development Trust, Rajasthan
- Founder General Secretary, Charkha, the Development Communications Network, New Delhi
- Winner of the 1993 Sanskriti Award
- General Secretary, Association of Voluntary Agencies in Rural Development (AVARD), New Delhi
- Team leader, AVARD North East
Awarded All India Human Rights Association's Manav Shri Puraskar in the field of Journalism & Social Welfare, 1997-98.
His mission in his own words- “To change the world and make a difference in the lives of the ordinary people”
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