The Good Crusaders: 10 Indians leading by example

Taking a look at this video series 'The Good Crusaders' by Chivas in association with ET Now will make you feel how little we have achieved in life while chasing our materialistic desires and ambitions. Due to our hectic lives and the overall sense of gloom in the world, we more than often fail to recognise the good we have in and amongst us.

There exists a generous amount of individuals who are striving hard to make a difference in the lives of others and going the extra mile to empower them. Whether it's this man who took out 500 people with him in his 'Jagriti Yatra' to build India, or this woman spearheading a movement against noise pollution, each and every person in the 100 Pipers' video series has touched lives and depicted why we need to socially engage in today's fast paced life.

So, pause for a moment from the madness you are living and tune in to 100 Pipers' awe-inspiring stories of some of the most stunning individuals. Take a look at their stories:

1. Indrani Malkani

This video by Chivas in association with ET Now tells us the story of Indrani Malkani that wil leave you inspired for a llifetime. Born in Calcutta, Malkani worked in Delhi for a brief while before making Mumbai her home and becoming the ‘school bus lady.’ Living right next to a school, she was irritated by the incessant honking of cars before and after school hours. Additionally, she also believed she had a solution to ease traffic and chaos around schools and was the brain behind the school bus policy, nine years before the state formalized it. It is because of her that now school buses have become one of the most safest ways of travel, have first aid boxes and fire-extinguishers.

2. Avijit Dutt

A filmmaker and an actor, Avijit Dutt was asked to make a film on child abuse 20 years ago by UNICEF and NHRC. The film titled ‘Akkar Bakkar,’ which was also shown in the Parliament to hasten the Child Bill, gave birth to the activist in him and he launched Childline. Since then, he has been providing healthcare facilities at the grassroots level. Listen to him in this video by Chivas in association with ET Now.

3. Shashank Mani

Shashank Mani believes that enterprise is the tool that can achieve the mission of development in rural India. He launched ‘Jagriti Yatra,’ which takes 500 yatris through a 15-day long train journey across the length and breadth of the country to understand and build the India of smaller towns and villages through enterprise. Listen to him in this video by Chivas in association with ET Now.

4. Dr Vibha Krishnamurthy

A developmental peadritician by porfession, Dr Vibha Krishnamurthy launched ‘Umeed,’ a one-of-akind center to create an integrated family-centred support system for children with developmental disabilties in India. The aim of her organisation is to change the way families and communities understand and care for children with such disabilities. Listen to her in this video by Chivas in association with ET Now.

5. Sumaira Abdulali

Sumaira Abdulalai is an environmentalist and the founder of the NGO, Awaaz Foundation. It is through her organisation that she has proven that noise pollution need not be the side effect of urbanisation and economic progress. By facilitating a transparent citizen-led movement to link urban development and noise regulation, she has taken a different approach to spearhead a movement against the pervasive environmental hazard of noise pollution. Listen to her in this video by Chivas in association with ET Now.

6. Jahan Peston Jamas

Jahan Peston Jamas, the man behind ‘The Hemp Revolution in India.’ On a trip that took Jamas and his friends to rural Maharashtra,Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, they were surprised to notice the abundance of the hemp plant and their daily uses. They thus started the Bombay Hemp Company and created a new industry around hemp, beginning with the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. Listen to him in this video by Chivas in association with ET Now.

7. Rashmi Tiwari

Rashmi Tiwari has been instrumental in curbing trafficking against women and children through her organisation, Ahaan Tribal Development Foundation. Through her centres, Tiwari educates and empowers tribal girls residing in impoverished parts of the country to beat the very poverty that makes them weak and powerless. Listen to her in this video by Chivas in association with ETNow.

8. Pranik Naik

Disrupting status quo in education, Pranik Naik founded an organisation called ‘LeapForWord’ that provides English-language training to facilitate job placements for the youth. Naik is thus on a mission to make rural India English literate. Listen to Pranik in this video by Chivas in association with ETNow.

9. Dr Ramakant Panda

Growing up in a small village, Dr Ramakant Panda always believed in giving hope when there is none. It thus seemed apt that years later when he became a successsful cardiac surgeon, he would give back. Panda set up the Asian Heart Institute to raise the bar for medical standards in India for heart care. Listen to Ramakant in this video by Chivas in association with ETNow.

10. Shaheen Mistri

A social acitivist and educator by heart, Shaheen Mistri founded the Akanksha Foundation in 1991 with a simple idea- to educate the thousands of children residing in slums. Today, the Foundation teaches 3,500 children in 58 centres and six schools. Listen to her in this video by Chivas in association with ETNow.

You can know more about these revolutionary crusaders in this video series by 100 Pipers: