Born on 18 May 1970 at Varanasi, India Mother’s name: Shrimati Savitri Devi Married to Shruti Nagvanshi on 22 February 1992; has a son, Kabeer Karunik born in 1998
Lenin Raghuvanshi is the symbol of non-violence resistance to millions of lower caste people known as Dalits fighting for their dignity in India. Lenin is credited with changing the discourse on Dalit Politics in India and bringing into focus an innovative “people centric” approach based on justice, diversity, inclusiveness and pluralism to reclaim “human dignity” for the deprived sections in a caste ridden Indian society. The gamut of Lenin’s activities reflects his personal and ideological span and provides credibility and a sense of completeness to the work he does. His care for details, meticulous planning, diligent patience, and sincere advocacy on the issues concerning the marginalized, has made millions of his supporters optimistic about a dignified future.
Lenin’s vision on caste, conflict and social change took a concrete shape while working with the bonded labourers in India. He was born into a high caste Hindu family which he describes as “feudal.” He noticed that not a single child bonded in the sari or carpet industries came from an upper caste, even though some high-caste families were often just as poor as the lower castes. He realized that caste, not class, was at work. By the end of 1996, Lenin was championing for a major cause that is 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, Lenin recognized 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.
As a self-taught Dalit ideologue, Lenin understood from the beginning that village in India is the cradle of oppression and exploitation. Instead of tampering with the symptoms, ‘caste’ needed to be tackled by both its horns. On the one hand he created a democratized structure for the ‘voiceless’ to enable them access to the constitutional guarantees of modern India and on the other, his innovative advocacy forced the ‘state’ to sensitize its mechanisms to deliver social justice in a manner where Justice is not only done but perceived to be done.
Lenin conceived of a folk school which not only enabled empowerment of the poor, but also endowed them with the ability to access information and justice through the constitutional mechanism of the state. To translate policy into practice, Lenin has begun working on the latest part of his strategy, Jan Mitra Gaon, or the People-Friendly Village. These villages have durable local institutions that work to promote basic human rights in the face of continuous discrimination. Lenin has adopted three villages and one slum as pilot projects, which include reactivating defunct primary schools, eradicating bonded labor, ensuring girl child education, and promoting non-formal education. The village committees comprise of at least 50 percent Dalits, and seek to realize greater political representation of Dalits in village councils. The heads of the village committee and village council, a government representative, and a PVCHR employee serve as a conflict resolution group and form the People-Friendly Committee. The approach of the organization is two-fold: to have a strong grass-root organization to work for democratic rights of those in marginalized communities and second, to create the structure and dynamics to receive the assistance of national and international institutions.
Lenin’s 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. He is one of only a handful of activists to declare that such discrimination goes against democratic principles by promoting inequality. While working from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh–one of the most traditional, conservative, and segregated regions in India–Lenin never fails to demonstrate his resolve.
With less economic resources, but rich with confidence and conviction, Lenin in a short period of time has managed to amplify the voice of the marginalized in national and international fora through “Peoples SAARC”, rehabilitation and resettlement of weavers of Varanasi; Benaras Convention; Neo-Dalit movement; Election Watch; prevention of torture; voice against hunger, Neo-Dalit Movement and many such activities. Recognition by the international community of Dr Lenin’s work is indeed the recognition for the millions whose hopes and aspirations rest on his slender shoulders.
Completed his Bachelor degree in Ayurveda, Modern Medicine and Surgery from the State Ayurvedic Medical College, Gurukul Kangari, Haridwar in 1994.
1993: President, United Nations’ Youth Organization (UNYO), UP Chapter.
1993: Founding member of Bachapan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) along with Mr. Kailash Satyarthi and others.
1996: Dr. Lenin was severely beaten and physically tortured at the hands of Indian paramilitary force, the CRPF on 17th July, 1996 while participating in a protest demonstration to demand the liberation of bonded child labourers and their rehabilitation. The case was later taken up by Amnesty International and National Human Rights Commission.
1998: Organized, coordinated, and participated as Core Marcher in Global March against Child Labour in Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Spain, France and Geneva. I presented my petition against child labour in sporting goods industry to Mr. Jacques Chirac, H.E. President of France in 1998. https://www.facebook.com/leninshruti/photos/a.525484514560808/733791293730128/
1998: Fair Play Campaign against use of child labour in Indian Sporting Goods Industry. The campaign forced FIFA, ICC (International Cricket Council), World Federation of Sporting Goods Industry and Reebok to prohibit the use of child labour in the production of their industrial goods. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=338377689633804&id=173899946077254
1999: Founded Jan Mitra Nyas, a public charitable trust, an Indian non-governmental organisation and membership based movement work to ensure basic rights for marginalised groups in the Indian society, e.g. children, women, Dalits and tribes to establish rule of law through participatory activism against extra judicial killing, police torture, hunger, bonded labour and injustice by hegemonic masculinity of the caste system and patriarchy. PVCHR ideology is inspired by the father of the Dalit movement and modern Nation-State, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi who struggled against patriarchy and the caste hierarchical system. http://janmitranyas.in/
2001: Elected to the Executive Council of Voice of People (VOP), 25000 membership), a state wide people’s alliance to highlight and bring into national focus the politics of marginalized communities in India.
2002: Campaigned and mobilized at State and national level for prevention of torture.
2002: Appointed member of District Vigilance committee on Bonded Labour under Bonded Labour abolition Act 1976 by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.
2004: Created Model Village “People Friendly Village” to enable and amplify the voice of the marginalized and establish vibrant and proactive society for peace building based on justice through reconciliation and breaking of culture of silence. It is based on model of changing KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Practice) through active listening, critical thinking, empathy and continuous folk school.
2004: Organized Benaras Convention in order to assert the discourse on the politics of marginalized people in the national mainstream. The convention attended by thinkers and activists across the nation unanimously declared that the City of Varanasi was the symbol of Shraman Sanskriti (culture of the diversity, pluralism and inclusiveness) as opposed to that of the Brahminical Sanskriti (Culture of hegemonic masculinity of caste system and patriarchy).
2004: Established Bunkar-Dastkar Adhikar Manch (Forum on rights of the weavers and artisans) to give voice to their plight in an organized manner. The forum has membership of 3000 people and has been able to make Planning Commission of India commit Rupees One Thousand crores for their rehabilitation. This body is led by indigenous leaders and is self-supporting.
2004: Conceptualized and formed the Varanasi Weavers Trust along with eminent economist and Ashoka fellow from Srilanka, Dr. Darin Gunasekara. The trust envisages creation of a decentralised mode of production with a social control over capital for the weavers. The Planning Commission of India and Government of Uttar Pradesh have taken note of the objectives of the trust and are in the process of giving concrete shape to the idea respectively.
2004: Founded the Musahar-Nut Adhikar Manch (Forum on Rights of Musahars and Nuts). Musahars and Nuts are the most marginalized untouchable castes in the hunger infested districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Advocacy at national and international fora has succeeded in prioritizing hunger in government expenditure policy. Active mobilization of the poor Dalits has forced various political parties to include the empowerment of Dalits in their electoral manifestos. The liberation from social inhibitions has resulted in creation of Martyrs’ domes in villages where hunger deaths occurred and this has helped in creating a pool of indigenous hunger activists among the poor. The District administration of Varanasi has sought Rupees 6.75 crores to fight prevailing hunger situation among Musahar localities in the district. As a result of PVCHRs’ pressure, the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Act was amended to include a clause which directed each local self-governing bodies of the village to allot fund to the amount of Rupees one thousand to mitigate emergency hunger situation.
2005: Conceived and convened People’s SAARC at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The objective was to bring the issues faced by the people of SAARC countries on to a common platform and forge a forum based on people to people relationship to fight against the evil designs of caste, communal, ethnic, and fascist forces in the region. The most important declaration read, “We cherish and uphold the Rule of Law, sovereignty of the people, a system of governance that ensures devolution of power, People’ right to self-rule and control over resources.” The Convention led to the formation of South Asian People’s Forum (SAPF) of which Dr. Lenin was elected as the coordinator. The core committee comprised of PVCHR (India), INSEC (Nepal), People’s Forum for Human Rights (Bhutan), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, LOKOJ (Bangladesh) and Wiros Lokh Institute (Srilanka).This convention also triggered off a series of similar conventions across the SAARC countries. Two major outcomes of the convention were the inclusion of Afghanistan in the SAARC, and the inclusion of civil society voices in the decision making process adopted in the Dhaka declaration in SAARC, 2005.
2006: Founded Rozagar Haq Abhiyan (Right to work campaign) along with AIM, Parmarth, GSS, Musahar Manch for monitoring the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in Uttar Pradesh.
2006: PVCHR’s leading work on torture victims resulted in Dr. Lenin being appointed as State Director of National Project on Prevention of Torture funded by European Union and FNSt.
2006: In the context of international advocacy, PVCHR achieved the rare distinction of being an organisation whose grass root work was recognised and reported by the UN Special Rappoteur on Racism and Xenophobia. In the same year three out of four cases reported from India in the report of representative of Secretary General for Human Rights defenders were part of the PVCHR work.
2007: Drafted along with Faisal Anurag the vision paper for NAFRE Peoples’ Movement, an alliance of representatives from 16 states of India. This paper presented a road map for civil society movement drawing from the past experiences of traditional working class of India from the perspective of caste.
2007: Established Folk School for Dalits.
2007: PVCHR and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) along with 210 NGOs across the state conducted the Uttar Pradesh Election Watch (UPEW). The objective was to sensitize the electors about the governance processes. By providing background information of the candidates, UPEW facilitated for the citizens of Uttar Pradesh to make informed choices. Dr. Lenin, coordinator of UPEW, successfully ran a media campaign and managed to bring the issue of criminalization of politics to the centre stage.
2007: Dr. Lenin received 2007 Gwangju Human Rights Award from May 18 Foundation of South Korea along with Ms. Sharmila Irom of Manipur.
2008: Developed Testimonial Model for the torture survivors in India with Dr. Inger Agger PhD, International Development Consultant, Psychologist, Denmark
2008: Received ACHA Star Peace award from Association for Communal Harmony in Asia USA along with B. M. Kutty, Karachi, Karamat Ali, Karachi, Pakistan and Mubashir Mirza, Sadiqabad from Pakistan.
2008: Director for the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia USA
2008: Participated as co-presenter along with Dr. Inger Agger and Dr. Peter Polatin on testimonial therapy: experiences of India in evidence –based International Conference: rehabilitating torture Survivors on December 3-5, 2008 at Copenhagen, Denmark.
2009: Part of the formation of “National Alliance on Testimonial Therapy” (NATT) in the national consultation on “Testimony to improve psychosocial wellbeing and promote advocacy for survivors of torture and organized violence”. It was formed by the Panellists to be used further for testimonial therapy in India.
2009: Secretary cum Director for the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia USA.
2009: He is of the view that the glorification of encounter specialists by the media and the establishment has to stop if extrajudicial killings and torture are to end. Activists such as Raghuvanshi and organisations such as the PVCHR and the NHRC have raised their voices on these lines for long, but they are yet to get a positive response from the political establishment. http://www.frontline.in/stories/20091009262002700.htm
2009: Participated in Asian Folk School at Gwangju, South Korea organized by May 18 Foundation.
2009: Lenin Raghuvanshi as a guest speaker in workshop on topic “empowerment and grass root strategies in human rights work” organized by Zebra organization (http://zebra.or.at/22events.php?sub=3&page=2&lang=en) in Graz, Austria.
2010: President of the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia USA
2010: Participated in 2010 Gwangju Asia Forum from May 17-23, 2010 at Gwangju, South Korea.
2010: Received Usmania Award from Madarsa Usmania, Bazardiha, Varanasi in India for the development and welfare of education.
2010: City council of Weimar in Germany selected for 2010 International Human Rights Award.
2010: Participated in the National Seminar on Human Rights and Human Development and presented a paper (along with Ms. Shirin Shabana Khan) on “Impact of testimonial therapy and folk school on the survivors of torture and organized violence” organized by social work Unit, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mahatama Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrkoot, Satana, MP and sponsored by University Grants Commission (UGC) from 22-24 January 2011 at Chitrakoot.
2011: Under the leadership of Dr. Lenin, PVCHR had intensified its advocacy campaigns in raising the voices of marginalised people in the pursuit of policy changes at varying levels http://www.pvchr.blogspot.com/2010/07/prevention-of-torture-bill-2010.html. Such visibility of the organization had provided the leverage for its positioning and proactive role in relation to the Torture Prevention Bill. http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Torture/prevention%20of%20torture%20bill%202010.pdf It is significant to note that Dignity Institute provided substantial inputs to the draft bill on Torture Prevention in India that PVCHR had utilized in its policy and advocacy interventions. PVCHR maintains that effective torture prevention mechanisms should include in particular an effective witness and victim protection system, an independent investigative body, a separate mechanism to register the complaints of torture and mandatory sanctions of public officers found to have obstructed the victim’s access to justice. Acting decisively to eradicate torture and bring the policing system under the effective framework of the rule of law will be a test for the resilience of democracy in India. It is by its ability to develop laws as a shield against abuses of power that the citizens of this country will be able to judge the capacity of their state to respond to their aspirations.http://www.pvchr.blogspot.com/2011/11/report-of-select-committee-on-ati.html
2011: Lenin Raghuvanshi wrote an article “An Overview of the Human Rights Issues in India” in book State Violence and Human Rights in Asia published by May 18 memorial foundation, South Korea. http://www.518.org/upload/board/0022/20120423130237.pdf
2013: Dr. Lenin was awarded “Tarun Bharat Paryawaran Rakshar Samman” (Tarun Bharat Environment Protection Award) for his contribution to include water right as human rights by the Swedish Ambassador in India. The award has been instituted by Tarun Bharat Sangh and the famous Indian water man Shri Rajendra Singh, Raman Magasaysay Awardee.
2013: Lenin Raghuvanshi was elected as a co-ordinator of South Asian Network against Torture and Impunity (SANTI) to handle the Secretariat on behalf of PVCHR in the fourth consultation organized in Dhaka from 22-23, 2013
2015: Lenin was invited at the Global Tolerance Forum in Drammen, Norway where he voiced his strong opinion on the contemporary political situation in India, showed deep concern about increasing hold of fundamentalist and extremists’ elements in Indian society. http://pvchr.blogspot.com/2015/09/solutions-against-extremism-through.html
2015: Co-author of Testimonial Therapy: Impact on social participation and emotional wellbeing among Indian survivors of torture and organized violence published in Volume 25, November 2, 2015 of Journal ‘Torture’ published by IRCT. https://irct.org/assets/uploads/1018-8185_2015-2_22-33.pdf
2016: Present paper Masculinity and India on 21 June 2016 in Conference on ‘Women Activism and Politics in Sweden and India’ to be held on 20th and 21st June, 2016 at Karlstad University, Sweden. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Karlstad University, in collaboration with the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University, as a part of a series of conferences to be held in Sweden and India. http://lenin-shruti.blogspot.com/2016/06/women-activism-and-politics-in-sweden.html
2018: In the first feature chapter, Archana Kaushik, Lenin Raghuvanshi and Mohanlal Panda explore the practice of untouchability through the experience of one Indian village. Though constitutionally outlawed, the practice is deeply ingrained in Indian culture. It has its roots in the caste system, a traditional form of apartheid. The Dalits in the village lived in thatched houses at the periphery of the village, and their children were denied immunization, supplementary nutrition and schooling because upper-caste health care and education workers dread the prospect of sullying their spiritual purity through physical contact with the Dalits. The chapter recounts the experience of the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), a nongovernmental organization (NGO), in breaking down the barriers that hindered the Dalits from enjoying their most basic rights through the mobilization and empowerment of the Dalits to voice their concerns and fight for justice. The article Touching the untouchable: Dalit empowerment through consciousness- raising in an Indian village published by Routledge publication (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Routledge) in its book of Consciousness – Raising Critical Pedagogy and practice for social change. The article is jointly written by Dr.Archana Kaushik, Lenin Raghuvanshi and Dr.Mohanlal Panda. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781351608329/chapters/10.4324%2F9781315107851-2 https://www.routledge.com/Consciousness-Raising-Critical-Pedagogy-and-Practice-for-Social-Change/Yu/p/book/9781138091771?fbclid=IwAR32qXpg8zdCkUU-nEkkOHqxSx3fveeImMtZVuhjl1qLQYIKSne7QpKHEvQ
2018: Deed Indeed Foundation profiled him as ‘Tireless Service to Humanity’ and describes,” Lenin Raghuvanshi is one of the Caste System’s greatest nemeses and is one of Society’s Downtroddens’ most dynamic champions and we can all take a humane leaf from his book.” https://deedindeed.org/health/tireless-service-to-humanity
2018: The Journal of Transdisciplinary Peace Praxis (JTPP), peer-reviewed and bi-annual, is launching its first Issue on 30 January 2019. The Advisory Board has members of the Global India Project: Dr Jacint Jordana (IBEI), Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi (PVCHR), Prof. Rahul Mukherji (HEID), and Prof. John Doyle (DCU).JTPP fills an important trans-disciplinary gap, which often neglects opportunities for truly collaborative research and praxis on the complex and multi-dimensional realities of positive peace and reconciliation systems. http://globalindia.eu/launch-of-journal-of-transdisciplinary-peace-praxis-jtpp/ https://jtpp.uk/jtpp/advisory-board/
2019: He is one of a 12-person strong Editorial board of Torture for next two years. The Torture Journal is an international scientific journal that provides an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of original research and systematic reviews by professionals concerned with the biomedical, psychological and social interface of torture and the rehabilitation of its survivors. https://irct.org/media-and-resources/latest-news/article/987
2020: Why Varanasi is central to India’s Civilisation Ethos ‘The city’s many practicing religions, performing cultures, functioning society and self regulating economy; together create a cultural mosaic which embodies that old adage- unity in diversity.’ write in his article published on news platform : https://www.newsplatform.in/opinion/why-varanasi-is-central-to-indias-civilisational-ethos/
Literary and academic contribution: Lenin frequently contributes articles in local, national and international magazine and online websites. His latest book, Justice, Liberty, Equality: Dalits in Independent India highlight cases of Dalits atrocities and throw the light on the inability of the administrative system to protect the poor and vulnerable of the Indian society. Book underlines failure of Indian human rights system to protect the dignity of Dalits. Lenin, in his high pitch and critical tone, underscores dire need to bring the social change and appeal to bring necessary transformation in the Indian human rights machinery to prevent and redress human rights violations on Dalits and vulnerable people. https://frontpagepublications.com/book/justice-liberty-equality-dalits-in-independent-india/ The feature Chapter ‘Conscientisation of Untouchables in Indian Society’ in book titled ‘Consciousness-Raising: Critical pedagogy and practice for social change’ edited by Nilan Yu jointly written by Archana Kaushik, Lenin Raghuvanshi and Mohanlal Panda published by Routledge, an imprint of the Taylor and Francis group. Chapter explores the practice of untouchability through the experience of one Indian village. The chapter recounts the experience of PVCHR, a NGO, in breaking down the barriers that hindered the Dalits from enjoying their most basic rights through the mobilization and empowerment of Dalits to voice their concerns and fight for justice. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315107851/chapters/10.4324/9781315107851-2
