Passion Vista Magazine
Most Admired Global Indians 2022
Lenin Raghuvanshi
A Vocal Proponent and Activist for
Equality
Lenin Raghuvanshi
was born on 18 May 1970 in a higher caste Hindu family, to Surendra Nath Singh
and Shrimati Savitri Devi. His grandfather Shanti Kumar Singh, was a Gandhian
freedom fighter. Lenin gained his bachelor’s degree in Ayurveda, modern medicine
and surgery from the State Ayurvedic Medical College, Gurukul Kangari, Haridwar
in 1994. He is married to Shruti Nagavanshi who was previously a famous social
activist and they have a son, Kabeer Karunik, who is a national-level snooker
player. An aversion toward the caste system always prevailed within Lenin and
he refers to the Hindu upbringing as ‘feudal’. This sowed the seed of social
activism within him and he later became the president of the Uttar Pradesh
chapter of the United Nations Youth Organisation at the age of 23 back in 1993.
A realisation hit
him where he realised casteism prevails in all walks of life. With the Indian
Government tackling this issue with its reservation policies and making it
perennial, Lenin chose the path of uplifting these people by making their
voices heard. He went on and founded the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human
Rights (PVCHR) in 1996, along with his wife, historian Mahendra Pratap,
musician Vikash Maharaj and poet Gyanendra Pati. Soon after completing his studies,
he came across a lot of corrupt practices and decided to join the BBA
organisation founded by Nobel Peace Prize awardee Kailash Satyarthi, and later
received facts about how all bonded labour and survivors of slavery came from
marginalised castes. This led him to work towards a reconciliation movement
against the caste system and patriarchy.
By the end of 1996,
Lenin was championing a major cause that was to fight for the basic rights of
lower-caste people. Early experiences taught him that confrontation was
essentially dangerous and not the most effective emancipatory tool.
Increasingly, he recognised the role of caste in all kinds of social conflicts
and therefore envisioned a movement that could break the closed, feudal
hierarchies of conservative slums and villages by building up local
institutions and supporting them with a high profile and active human rights
network.
His work marks a
shift in the Indian human rights movement, which has been reluctant to address
injustices in the name of caste as a fundamental human rights issue. Lenin
became one of only a handful of activists to declare that such discrimination
goes against democratic principles by promoting inequality. With less economic
resources, but rich with confidence and conviction, in a short period, he
managed to amplify the voice of the marginalized in national and international
fora.
Lenin was deeply
engaged in the politics of marginalised people and firmly believes in
non-violence. A clear mind, dedication and determination help him carve his
path and faces commonly threats and intimidation tactics but, his courage and
commitment to a non-violent approach are key factors in tackling these. His
wife Shruti and son Kabeer live together happily in a joint family and stays on
the move and busy fulfilling his grandfather’s dream who used to emphasise that
grassroots politics is the future of the country.
Lenin works to
promote inclusion and basic rights no matter how complex it is, as he perceives
them to be essential. He is driven by the knowledge that every life has
intrinsic value and through championing the inclusion of disenfranchised people
across India, he is fighting for the love for his country. He envisions India
gaining strength through this remarkable diversity instead of being ripped
apart. Ever since his birth, gender inequality troubled him and he became more
aware with each passing day. Lenin identifies caste as a deeply hierarchical
and oppressive system of social stratification and as the root of multiple
social conflicts that also acts as a major barrier to his dream of bringing
justice to all.
COVID-19 made Lenin
more conscious about his health as he focuses on proper nutrition and boosting
immunity. His organisation initiated multi-dimensional support to communities,
institutions and NGOs towards eliminating COVID-19 and providing awareness,
vaccinations etc. He believes speaking up is a way of resilience for a
community for sustainable development at the grassroots level. Healthy human
resources and the elimination of barriers for the marginalised are one of the
most important ways to strengthen the economy and boost the GDP. The negative
conflict burdens the economy and so, positive resolutions and participatory
pluralistic democracy lay the foundation for a sustainable economy of any
country.
https://www.scribd.com/document/592899314/Lenin-Raghuvanshi-A-Vocal-Proponent-and-Activist-for-Equality