Hanumappa Sudarshan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1950-12-30)30 December 1950 (age 75)[1] Yemalur, Karnataka, India |
| Other names | Dr. Sudarshan |
| Occupation | Doctor |
| Organization(s) | Sudarshan Army,Karuna Trust (India) |
| Known for | Public Health, Tribal rights, Activism,Gandhism |
| Awards | Right Livelihood Award |
Dr. Hanumappa Sudarshan (born 30 December 1950) is an Indian social worker and tribal rights activist. He is known for his contributions to the upliftment of the forest dwelling tribes (mainlySoligas) in theChamarajanagar district of Karnataka. He is also a recipient of theRight Livelihood Award and thePadma Shri.[2][3]
Sudarshan was born inYemalur on the outskirts ofBangalore. He graduated fromBangalore Medical College and became a medical doctor in the year 1973. He is also anadjunct professor atIGNOU.[1]
After graduation, he joined the health institutions ofRamakrishna Mission which took him to theHimalayas ofUttar Pradesh,Belur Math in West Bengal andPonnampet in Karnataka as part of the job.[4] Instead of pursuing a medical practice in the cities, he decided to work with tribal communities and in 1980, he started the Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra for the integrated development of the tribals in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka.[2] He is also the founder and Honorary Secretary of theKaruna Trust, which is dedicated to rural development in the states of Karnataka andArunachal Pradesh. He claims inspiration from the man-making and nation-building ideals ofSwami Vivekananda. He advocatesGandhian ideals for rural development.[5]
Indian poet Shaunak Chakraborty got impressed by his ideology and work towards society so he decided to establish a non profit organization namedSudarshan Army on 30 July 2019 which got its name from him.[6]
VGKK is an organisation with a mission ofSustainable development of tribal people through rights-based approaches to health, education, livelihood security and biodiversity conservation.[7] Founded in October 1981 by Dr. Sudarshan, VGKK has worked with tribals in the Chamarijanagar district andMysore district of Karnataka and also with tribals in the states ofTamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh and theAndaman and Nicobar Islands and has interacted with about 20,000 people. The organisation has always had a tribal youth as its President. Jadeya Gowda, one of the first few children who was taught by Dr. Sudarshan, is the President. He did a graduation and post-graduation in agriculture and has completed his PhD from the [University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore], Presently working as Associate Professor at College of Forestry, Ponnampet.
VGKK runs a 450 pupil school for the tribes ofB R Hills where the students are provided education equivalent to that provided in the urban areas. Subjects related to the tribal welfare such as environmental issues, tribal values and culture are also a part of the curriculum. VGKK also has a vocational training institute where 16 crafts are taught. As a result of the efforts of VGKK, about 60% of the Soliga tribe now get a minimum of 300 days of employment per year from the Forest Department of Karnataka and other agencies.[3]
Started in the year 1986 by Dr. Sudarshan,Karuna Trust (India) is an organisation involved with integrated rural development and is affiliated to VGKK.[8] The prevalence ofleprosy inYelandur Taluk of Chamarajanagar district was the motivation to start this trust. Another focus area for this trust is education and livelihood improvement. Karuna Trust runs 72 Primary Health Care (PHC) Centres in all the districts of the state of Karnataka and Arunachal Pradesh.
Dr. Sudarshan has held many positions in his career such as the chairmanship of theTask Force on Health and Family Welfare organised byGovernment of Karnataka, theTask Force on Public Private Partnership organised by National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) ofGovernment of India and Institute of Health management & Research (IHMR), Bangalore.[4] He was also associated as a member ofWorking Group 6 on Macro-economics & Health organised by theWorld Health Organization and was also a Steering Group member of the Planning Commission on the Empowerment ofScheduled Tribes in India's 11thFive Year Plan. He has also been the Vigilance Director for the Karnataka Lokayukta, anombudsman organisation. During his tenure, he adopted a method of regular visits and raids to several Government departments and earned critical acclaim for this.[9]
