Grassroots Nation
Episodes
Where it all began: Early influences that shaped India’s social leaders
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A chance meeting, political upheaval, finding one’s community, falling in love: each of these has a profound impact on the course of one’s life. I...
In sickness and in health: India’s public health story
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Few will remember that in 1980 the average life span in India was 52 whereas now it’s 82. It is thanks to the ingenuity, presence of mind and advoc...
Staying Grounded: The Spiritual Practices of Social Leaders
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A lifetime devoted to public service demands a certain kind of mental fortitude--it’s a fundamental requirement to keep up the drive and the belief ...
Blueprints for a Greener Legacy
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
India’s environmental movement is unique because of its deep connection to social justice, indigenous rights, and grassroots activism. Unlike purely...
Architects of Change
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a mini series from Grassroots Nation that presents some of the key themes that have arisen in our conversations with some of India’s greates...
History's Footnotes
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first of a mini series from Grassroots Nation that presents some of the key themes that have arisen in our conversations with some of Indi...
Ananthpadmanabhan G: change is a complex beast
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ananthapadmanabhan Guruswamy has been at the helm of many institutions in India. Before earning a B.Tech in electrical engineering from IIT, Chennai, ...
Dr Abhay Bang and Dr Rani Bang: Pioneering rural healthcare in India
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Abhay and Rani Bang both grew up in families with deep roots in public service. Dr. Abhay Bang’s parents were followers of the Sarvodaya movement...
Mari Thekaekara: I cannot bear it when people say they come to uplift someone
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mari Marcel Thekaekara is a writer and co-founder of ACCORD – the Action for Community Organisation, Rehabilitation and Development. Born into a de...
Part 2 Stan Thekaekara: "How do you strategically plan to eliminate fear?"
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is Part 2. We recommend you listen to Part 1 first. Stan Thekaekara is a social activist who has worked with indigenous and Adivasi communities...
Stan Thekaekara: “How do you strategically plan to eliminate fear?” (Part 1)
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Stan Thekaekara is a social activist who has worked with indigenous and Adivasi communities for over forty years. Born into a deeply religious family...
Dr Darshan Shankar: Traditional knowledge has contemporary relevance
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Padmashri Dr Darshan Shankar is the Chairman of the Indian Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, Managing Trustee of Foundation for Revitali...
Maja Daruwala: Prisons are the dumping ground for all the dysfunctions in the justice system
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Maja Daruwala has been an advocate for human rights and social justice for over four decades. Born in 1945, as the second daughter of Field Marshal ...
Dr Yellappa Reddy: The Trees Must Always Come First
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. A.N. Yellappa Reddy is a renowned environmentalist, a former indian forestry services officer and member of the Lok Adalat or Karnataka High Court...
Vijay Mahajan: The Engineer Who Showed India That The Rural Poor Is Credit Worthy
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vijay Mahajan, is the co-founder and founder of some of India’s most well known livelihoods and social enterprise groups: the NGO PRADAN, and the BA...
Devaki Jain says that when you count women’s work you make them visible
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Devaki Jain is one of India’s best known feminist economists, with a long career working closely with institutions to first recognise and then mains...
Dr. Ravi Chopra says that selfless service is an article of faith
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Grassroots Nation we hear from Dr Ravi Chopra is the founder Director of the People’s Science Institute in Dehradun, Uttarakhand....
Professor Madhav Gadgil: We must work with the people to protect nature
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Season 2 of Grassroots Nation, a podcast from Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, a show in which we dive deep into the life, work, and guiding...
Dr Armida Fernandez: No-one achieves anything alone
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Armida Fernandez is one of India’s foremost neonatologists, treating babies born in some of the most underprivileged and marginalized homes in Mu...
Dr Madhav Chavan and Dr Rukmini Banerji (Part 2): Go to the people. Love them, learn from them.
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our journey with pioneers in literacy and learning in India, Dr Madhav Chavan and Dr Rukmini Banerji of the Pratham Education Foundation. ...
Dr Madhav Chavan and Dr Rukmini Banerji (Part 1): pioneers in literacy and learning in India
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we hear from pioneers in literacy and learning in India: Dr Madhav Chavan and Dr Rukmini Banerji of the Pratham Education Foundation....
Al Fernandez: Mentor, guide, and lode star to the social sector
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aloysius Fernandez prepared for a life of service in the Church - and was even ordained as one in 1953. But when he witnessed the abject suffering cau...
Bunker Roy: There is no urban solution to a rural problem
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How did a Doon School and St. Stephens College Alumni end up spending his life in service to rural India? Bunker Roy, born Sanjit Roy in 1945 in Burn...
Dr Kamaljit Bawa: The Evolution of a Conservation Biologist
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Born in pre-independence India in 1939 Dr Kamaljit S. Bawa grew up in Kapurthala in Punjab, witnessing partition and inspired by the speeches of our c...
Aruna Roy 2: If I'm fighting for accountability,the first person I should make accountable is myself
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is part 2 of Aruna Roy’s story. Listen to part 1 on our feed. In part 1, Aruna spoke about her early life and upbringing, her career with th...
Aruna Roy (Part 1): The demand for rights has to be understood as a demand for dignity
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Activist. Feminist. Social leader. Aruna Roy is in a category of her own. She has been at the forefront of several people-led movements such as the Ri...
Dr H Sudarshan: Service is a part of the divine, the cosmos and nature
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our second episode, we meet Dr Hanumappa Sudarshan, a tribal rights activist who dedicated his life to working on rural healthcare and livelihoods....
Dr Ashok Khosla: It’s possible to do good, and to do good business
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode of Grassroots Nation we meet Dr Ashok Khosla, an environmental visionary, a pioneer of sustainable development and the founder ...
Grassroots Nation - Trailer
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Grassroots Nation is a new podcast series from Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies in which we deep dive into the life, work and guiding philosophies of so...