Winner of many awards for his social work in Mumbai slums, Jockin Arputham missed the Nobel Peace in 2014. But for people whose life he changed through his dedication, he is indeed an ‘arputham’ (miracle, in Tamil), says Kavita Kanan Chandra

For the tribals of Sundergarh in Odisha, Anna Kujur is the beacon of hope. She not just made them aware of their rights but also encouraged them to stand up and fight, says Sarada Lahangir

Whatever job he was in, S M Venkatesh saved abandoned people from the streets. Now, his Agal Foundation works with Helpage India, responding to distress calls, quickly and efficiently, as P C Vinoj Kumar found through a snap sting operation

Starting with a night shelter for children of sex workers, Prerana has come a long way providing support to women stuck in Mumbai’s red light district. Kavita Kanan Chandra retraces Priti Patkar’s 28-year journey that has saved many a child

A cradle has saved at least 110 girls in Rajasthan, a state notorious for female infanticide. Gaurav Sharma finds out how Maa Bhagwati Vikas Sansthan was formed, how it saves unwanted babies

The outbreak of Ebola, besides taking a heavy toll of health workers in Western African clinics, has thrown new challenges to nurses, who are responding bravely. Qurratul-Ain Haider reports

From a school teacher in Gurgaon to a benefactor supporting 38,000 students in Ladakh, Sujata Sahu has trekked great heights. Partho Burman tells us about her 17,000ft Foundation that engages volunteer-tourists to help students in the hills

After losing her husband in an armed conflict in Kashmir, Subhashini Vasanth embarked on a mission to help war widows. A journey with twists and turns has now enabled her to make a difference in the lives of many women, says Tisha Srivastav

They call themselves Robin Hood Army. But they are law abiding youth, gathering food from restaurants, leftovers or otherwise, and serving them to the needy in many cities, says Shilpa Raina

Doctors in Kashmir went about their job, saving lives when floods wreaked havoc, surviving on IV fluids till they were rescued from marooned hospitals. Shazia Yousuf has the story of courage

Through a mentorship programme, Avanti Fellows, two IIT alumni, Krishna Ramkumar and Akshay Saxena, are training underprivileged children to crack entrance examinations of prestigious institutions all over India, says Kavita Kanan Chandra

A school teacher, who believes she is a mother to her students, G Sripriya, affectionately called by her students as ‘Priya Amma’ runs 29 tuition centres for underprivileged children through her team of volunteers, says P C Vinoj Kumar

Where millions suffer from eye disorders, a young ophthalmologist has set up a clinic to bring eye care within the reach of the poor and the rural population. Akash Bisht spoke to Parveez Ubed, who started ERC Eye Care 3 years ago in Assam

What started with 15 street boys is now an NGO touching the lives of 300,000 children in 3,000 locations in 19 states. Santosh Rao meets Mathew Spacie, who cranked the Magic Bus 15 years ago

It challenged the idea of Ice Bucket Challenge itself. Manju Latha Kalanidhi, a journo from Hyderabad, changed the course of a charity wave, turning it more relevant to Indian context. Akash Bisht spoke to the Rice Bucket Challenge pioneer