Shruti Nagvanshi: Difference between revisions

| parents            = Lallan Singh (Father) <br /> Late Urmila Singh (Mother)

'''Shruti Nagvanshi''' is a women's and child's rights activist and an advocate for marginalized groups in India, including the [[Untouchability|untouchable]] caste known as [[Dalit]] and rural women. She is one of the founding members of [[People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights]] (PVCHR) and a founder of Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat, a women’s forum. She has worked with several other projects to empower minorities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cry.org/projects/jan-mitra-nyas|title=Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) Project in Uttar Pradesh|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poshan.outlookindia.com/story/towards-building-a-vibrant-and-resilient-community-against-hunger-and-malnutrition/332863|title=Towards Building A Vibrant and Resilient Community Against Hunger And Malnutrition &#124; Outlook Poshan|first=Shruti|last=Nagvanshi|website=poshan.outlookindia.com|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2020/04/this-community-kitchen-in-kashi-is-preparing-dishes-of-social-justice-six-year-back-var/|title=This Community Kitchen In Kashi Is Preparing Dishes Of Social Justice|date=26 April 2020|website=Youth Ki Awaaz|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/884644/ups-musahars-face-such-intense-discrimination-that-even-healthcare-is-denied-to-them|title=UP's Musahars face such intense discrimination that even healthcare is denied to them|first=Tarun Kanti|last=Bose|website=Scroll.in|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref>

She founded the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) in 1996, with her husband [[Lenin Raghuvanshi]], historian Mahendra Pratap, musician Vikash Maharaj, and poet Gyanedra Pati. Both she and Lenin are converts to [[Buddhism]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Dalit-activist-Lenin-Raghuvanshi-gets-award-for-making-a-difference-48451.html|title=Dalit activist Lenin Raghuvanshi gets award for making a 'difference'|website=www.asianews.it|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deedindeed.org/health/tireless-service-to-humanity|title=Tireless Service to Humanity|date=18 September 2018|website=Deed Indeed Foundation|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> She was nominated for the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for her contributions to bettering conditions for world peace and for acting as a driving force to prevent the use of masculinity-driven militarist traditions as a weapon of war and conflict.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nobelwill.org/index.html?tab=11|title=January 31, 2017: Nobel short list for 2017 to be sent to the committee}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2022/01/lenin-shruti-pvchr-human-rights-nobel-peace/|title=January 10, 2021: Benaras-Based Lenin And Shruti Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize}}</ref>

She is involved in building relations between various communities through modelling and teaching awareness of individual rights and the [[rule of law]]. Her organization PVCHR focuses on reconciliation between the historically marginalized and historically privileged, and represents a [[Secularity|secular]] and right-leaning wing of the larger anti-caste activist movement. Nagvanshi believes the very thought that they can fight against injustice is empowering. This pursuit of empowerment brought structural changes in her adopted villages and intervention areas. Her work has led to increased accessibility to health, education, livelihood and welfare services.  Many people from upper castes in India are beginning to embrace an inclusive society.<ref>{{cite book|first= Jeremy A. |last=Rinker |title=Identity, Rights, and Awareness: Anticaste Activism in India and the Awakening of Justice through Discursive Practices (Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding in Asia)|date=15 October 2018 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Rights-Awareness-Discursive-Peacebuilding-ebook/dp/B07HSSQX86/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Identity%2C+Rights%2C+and+Awareness%3A+Anticaste+Activism+in+India+and+the+Awakening+of+Justice+through+Discursive+Practices+%28Conflict+Resolution+and+Peacebuilding+in+Asia%29&qid=1595424101&s=books&sr=1-1|asin= B07HSSQX86}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newbooksnetwork.com/jeremy-a-rinker-identity-rights-and-awareness-anticaste-activism-in-india-lexington-2019/|title=Jeremy A. Rinker, "Identity, Rights, and Awareness: Anticaste Activism in India" (Lexington, 2019)|date=14 July 2020|access-date=24 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315107851/chapters/10.4324/9781315107851-2|title=Consciousness-Raising|first1=Archana|last1=Kaushik|first2=Lenin|last2=Raghuvanshi|first3=Mohanlal|last3=Panda|date=27 June 2018|publisher=Routledge|pages=14–18|access-date=24 July 2020|doi=10.4324/9781315107851-2|isbn=9781315107851}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Archana |last=Kaushik |title=Margins To Centre Stage Empowering Dalits in India|date=January 1, 2016 |isbn=9789381043196}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/home/vod|title=Contemporary Voice of Dalit|website=SAGE Journals|access-date=24 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/2455328X17744623|title=From Hunger Deaths to Healthy Living: A Case Study of Dalits in Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh, India|first=Archana|last=Kaushik|date=1 November 2018|journal=Contemporary Voice of Dalit|volume=10|issue=2|pages=173–181|access-date=24 July 2020|via=SAGE Journals|doi=10.1177/2455328X17744623|s2cid=158971200}}</ref>

In 2017, she and her team at [http://janmitranyas.in/ JanMitra Nyas] chose 50 villages and some slums in the most marginalised communities in four blocks of the Varanasi district to work on the issue of children’s health with the support of [[Child Rights and You]] (CRY). [[Maternal mortality in India|Maternal]], [[Perinatal mortality|neonatal]], and malnourished death declined in these communities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/884644/ups-musahars-face-such-intense-discrimination-that-even-healthcare-is-denied-to-them|title=UP's Musahars face such intense discrimination that even healthcare is denied to them|website=Scroll Newspaper|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/hindi/india-48152585|title=राहुल गांधी – नरेंद्र मोदी कुपोषण से बच्चों की मौत के लिए ज़िम्मेदार कैसे हैं?|website=BBC Hindi|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2019/04/changing-knowledge-attitude-and-practice-for-better-life/|title=How To Bring Nutrition And Menstrual Care To Varanasi's Women And Children|website=Youth Ki Awaaz|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poshan.outlookindia.com/story/kitchen-gardens-the-way-to-fight-hunger-and-malnutrition/331795|title=Kitchen Gardens – The Way To Fight Hunger And Malnutrition|website=Outlook Magazine|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cry.org/media/child-malnourishment-is-a-preventable-pandemic-says-cry|title=CHILD MALNOURISHMENT IS A PREVENTABLE PANDEMIC|website=CRY|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poshan.outlookindia.com/story/focus-on-adolescent-girls-kitchen-gardens-helping-musahar-nut-communities-in-varanasi/332753|title=Focus On Adolescent Girls, Kitchen Gardens Helping Musahar, Nut Communities in Varanasi|website=Outlook Magazine|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poshan.outlookindia.com/story/focus-on-adolescent-girls-kitchen-gardens-helping-musahar-nut-communities-in-varanasi/332753https://www.patrika.com/varanasi-news/family-health-and-nutrition-counseling-center-opened-in-banaras-5783541/|title= जर्मनी के सहयोग से बनारस में खुला परिवार स्वास्थ्य एवं पोषण परामर्श केंद्र|website=Patrika Hindi Newspaper|access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref>

She was appointed as a jury member by the [[Youth Ki Awaaz]] Awards along with feminist activist [[Kamla Bhasin]] and others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/awards/|title=First Ever Youth Ki Awaaz Awards 2019: Apply Now|website=Youth Ki Awaaz|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> Shruti received the Rex Karmveer Chakra (silver) in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jubileepost.in/shruti-nagvanshi-will-get-rex-karmaveer-chakra/|title=बनारस की बेटी श्रुति नागवंशी को मिलेगा रेक्स कर्मवीर चक्र|first=Avinash|last=Bhadouriya|date=27 August 2019|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.patrika.com/varanasi-news/banaras-daughter-shruti-selected-for-rex-karmaveer-chakra-honor-5017711/|title=बनारस की बेटी श्रुति, रेक्स कर्मवीर चक्र सम्मान के लिए चुनी गईं|website=Patrika News|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref>  Indian poet, lyricist and screenwriter [[Javed Akhtar]] honored her with the Jan Mitra Award in 2000 at Kabeer Mela (Kabeer festival) to recognize her extraordinary work for communal harmony and promotion of [[Kabir]] teaching.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lenin-shruti.blogspot.com/2018/01/jan-mitra-award-to-shruti-nagvanshi.html|title=Jan Mitra Award to Shruti Nagvanshi|first=People's Vigilance Committee On Human|last=Rights|date=11 January 2018|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> She was awarded the Top 100 Women Achievers of India in 2016 by the [[Ministry of Women and Child Development|Union Ministry of Women and Child Development]] (MWCD) and Facebook jointly in the category of ‘Access to Justice Protecting Women and their rights'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/MWCDs-women-achievers-from-Varanasi/articleshow/50439175.cms|title=MWCD's women achievers from Varanasi &#124; Varanasi News – Times of India|website=The Times of India|access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> She received the Tilaka Manjhi National award with Lenin Raghuvanshi by the Ang Madad Foundation, an NGO based in [[Bhagalpur]], [[Bihar]] for her work on [[Dalit feminism|Dalit women's rights]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mattersindia.com/2020/09/two-dalit-activists-to-receive-awards-for-social-work/|title=Two Dalit activists to receive awards for social work|date=9 September 2020}}</ref> Two Dalit rights activists from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Mrs Shruti Nagvanshi and Mr Lenin Raghuvanshi have been mentioned as “21st Century Heroes of India” from the perspective of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and other Indian Constitutional Values by Pippa Rann Books & Media, based in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mattersindia.com/2020/09/two-dalit-rights-activists-nominated-to-21st-century-heroes-of-india/|title=Two Dalit rights activists nominated to "21st Century Heroes of India"|date=29 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pipparannbooks.com/21st-century-heroes-of-freedom-and-other-indian-constitutional-values/ |title=21st-century heroes of India |website=Pippa Rann Books and Media |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227061536/https://pipparannbooks.com/21st-century-heroes-of-freedom-and-other-indian-constitutional-values/ |archive-date=22 February 2021}}</ref> Shruti received Public Peace prize 2020-21 for extraordinary work for child rights and women rights.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://publicpeaceprize.org/shruti-nagvanshi/|title = Shruti Nagvanshi|date = 29 March 2021}}</ref>