Kharagpur, India: IIT Kharagpur is proud to announce that Shri Vinayak Lohani, a distinguished alumnus and a 2000 graduate in Mining Engineering, has been conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award in the field of Social Welfare in recognition of his remarkable and enduring contributions to the transformative work in education and healthcare.
Vinayak Lohani, who also holds an MBA from IIM Calcutta, chose an unconventional path after his education, forgoing campus placements to dedicate his life to the service of underprivileged children. Inspired by spiritual and humanistic ideals of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda, he resolved to devote his entire life for serving ‘Divine in Man’ as taught by Swami Vivekananda. He founded Parivaar in 2003, starting with just three children in a small rented house near Kolkata. Today, Parivaar stands as the largest free residential educational institution for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Eastern India, currently home to over 2,100 children in West Bengal and extending its impact through a series of initiatives across Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand.
In Bengal, Parivaar has two residential educational institutions – Parivaar Vivekananda Sevashrama for Boys and Parivaar Sarada Teertha for Girls. With over 2100 resident children, these are West Bengal’s largest free residential institutions for children from deprived and destitute backgrounds. Parivaar provides all opportunities for education and overall child development in a loving and caring atmosphere for boys and girls from early age of 5 till their higher education – i.e. university level graduation and employability programs.
Parivaar started working in Madhya Pradesh providing 679 Nutritional Meals & 831 Education centers for children in selected impoverished tribal and rural pockets called ‘Sri Ramakrishna Vivekananda Seva Kutir’ in 15 districts serving more than 40,000 children. Parivaar also runs 2 residential schools and 2 hostels in the districts of Dewas, Sehore and Mandla of Madhya Pradesh. 1250 boys and girls from different tribal geographies of the state are residing in these campuses. Alongside providing residential education, the institution operates 24/7 ambulance services, mobile health clinics, vision restoration programs, and mother-infant care initiatives, making a profound difference in the lives of thousands in underserved communities. Under Vision Restoration Programme for the poor and vulnerable elderly persons, more than 5700 eye camps have been organised in 36 districts of MP and one each in UP and Rajasthan. More than 6.48 Lac persons attended these camps and 72000 eye surgeries have been conducted for free through help of some prestigious eye hospitals. More than 15 Lac patients have been served through 21 Mobile Medical Clinics in 8 districts covering 982 villages. Parivaar received the National Award for Child Welfare from the President of India in 2011, the highest recognition by the Government of India.
Known for his humility and unwavering commitment, Shri Vinayak Lohani has become a beacon of service to humanity, embodying the very spirit of social transformation. His exceptional journey continues to inspire youth across the nation, demonstrating how one individual’s dedication can change the lives of many.
Over the years, his tireless efforts have been recognized with numerous prestigious accolades, including the The Telegraph Education Foundation’s Certificate of Honour at The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence (2014), the Sanskriti Award, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award (DAA) from IIT Kharagpur in 2014.
The entire IIT Kharagpur community congratulates Shri Vinayak Lohani for this well-deserved recognition and celebrates his extraordinary journey of selfless service. His vision and work continue to shine as a source of inspiration for generations to come.
