Heroic Lives

Heroic Lives

Triump of a Steely Resolve

Desaraju Venkata Sankara Rao (born June 17, 1953) of Bhadrachalam, Telangana, a retired bank official, has a unique and uplifting story to tell. Although he had to undergo a coronary artery bypass surgery at the age of 60, he chose to get trained systematically in powerlifting. With an unflinching commitment to health and fitness, later at the age of 73, he succeeded to win four gold medals at the National Masters Classic Powerlifting Championship (Master-4, 83 kg category), held in Kozhikode, Kerala in August 2025! His achievement is not only a first-of-its-kind but also the fastest such fitness journey post-retirement and surgery.

With the People…

Junaid Kaippani, born June 23, 1986, of Vellamunda, Wayanad, Kerala is a sociable young leader who has made it part of his life mission to reach out to fellow citizens as much as possible. As Chairman, Wayanad District Panchayath Welfare Standing Committee, Junaid makes himself available to attend public functions in every nook and corner of the district. His presence at numerous such public meetings in the past four years has earned him a place among the most approachable elected representatives of LSGIs in India!

Most Excellence Awards in a Year

Dr Sandip Gun (b August 27, 1965), Headmaster, Jalpaiguri Higher Secondary School, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal has an unparalleled claim to fame. He received 572 excellence awards including 32 honorary doctorates in 2021, the most by an individual in the field of education in a single year!

Unique Moneybox project pioneer

The visionary concept of Master Adersh R A (b Jan 3, 2006), S/o P T Rameshan Nair, Vlathankara, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, of placing moneyboxes at schools to collect students’ contributions towards Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) received wide acceptance and was emulated across the state. Not only did his idea help in re-building the State after the devastating flood of 2018 but also in nurturing a sense of social commitment among students.

A glowing inspiration!

Bhanumati Zatakia (83), born July 10, 1937, a philanthropist and singer from Ghatkopar, Mumbai has defied her age and is still going strong with a range of socio-cultural activities in and around Mumbai for years now. As a writer, she has been penning screenplays in both Hindi and Gujarati for various shows. She has not just been singing devotional songs for the last 25 years but imparting music lessons to the youngsters free of charge. She has trained over 2,500 students in singing! She has been a fabulous Dandiya dancer too. She makes it a point to serve free food to over 100 poor people on a weekly basis. She also steps out daily to collect old as well as new clothes from different localities, wash and alter them to distribute among the needy in the slum pockets, a routine for the past six years!
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