Vinayak Lohani

Vinayak Lohani
Born (1978-04-12) 12 April 1978
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Residence 24 Paragana South, Kolkata
Nationality Indian
Citizenship India
Education B.Tech, MBA
Alma mater IIT Kharagpur, IIM Calcutta
Known for Founder of Parivaar, Social Entrepreneur

Vinayak Lohani (Hindi: विनायक लोहनी,Bengali: বিনায়ক লোহনী) is the founder of Parivaar, a humanitarian institution based in West Bengal.[1] He, inspired by the spiritual and humanistic ideals of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, decided to devote his entire life to serving the ‘Divine in Man’ as taught by Swami Vivekananda.[2][3][4][5]

Background, early life and education

Vinayak Lohani was born in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and did his schooling there. His family roots are from Almora district of Kumaon region in Uttarakhand, and their family surname was originally Upadhyaya, until a few generations back an ancestor took Lohumi (then changed to Lohani) as a title. His father served in the MP Cadre of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). He went to IIT Kharagpur to do his B.Tech and thereafter worked for Infosys for a year. In 2001, he joined IIM Calcutta to do his MBA.[6][7]

Career

At IIM Calcutta, Vinayak opted out of the placement process. After completing the MBA course, with just 3 children in a small rented building and almost no financial resources,he started Parivaar in late 2003.[2][3] Till the level of 15 children at Parivaar, he used to take some lectures for students appearing for management entrance examinations and through that could meet the expenses. Gradually people began to be inspired by his dedicated service and started to support the initiative. The number of children at Parivaar grew. At the end of 2004, Parivaar purchased its own land and developed its first campus: Parivaar Ashram. In 2011, Parivaar expanded to having separate campuses for boys and girls. As of August 2016, there are 1458 resident children (girls and boys) at Parivaar, making it the largest and high-quality residential program for children from impoverished strata in West Bengal.[7]

Vinayak with children at Parivaar

Inspiration

Just about the time of starting Parivaar he also received 'Dikha' (spiritual initiation) from Swami Ranganathananda, the then President of the Ramakrishna Order at Belur Math. He considers the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition as his spiritual home.

Vinayak has used the successes and lessons learned at Parivaar to mentor many organizations in different parts of India. He has helped these organizations grow through the collaborative platform of donors, volunteers, and service-delivery grassroots NGOs called Caring Friends. In 2011, the Government of India’s Ministry of Women and Child Development made him a member of the Ministry’s Task Force, one of the very few non-governmental/civil society sector persons to be included.

Many academic case-studies have been authored dealing with grassroots social entrepreneurship and organization-building, highlighting Vinayak and Parivaar. These cases have been taught and discussed at various business schools in India. Additionally, best-selling author Rashmi Bansal’s book I have a Dream has an entire chapter on Vinayak and the initial phase of Parivaar.

Over the years, Parivaar’s mission began to attract dedicated youth, many of whom joined Parivaar as resident workers, teachers, and support staff, called Seva-vratees. Along with Vinayak, they are now the bearers of this mission, and live and work at Parivaar bringing transformation to the lives of children, families, communities, and India.[2]

In 2014 and 2015, Vinayak has taken inspirational 30-hour courses on 'Social Entrepreneurship' IIM Calcutta and IIM Indore. The course has successfully analyzed the journeys of various eminent social entrepreneurs and agents of social change using theoretical constructs and also changed the world-view of several students, familiarizing them with the real ground zero problems faced by the majority population of the country.

Awards and Honors

Current Roles with Government of India

References

  1. ↑ "Tehelka - The People's Paper". Archive.tehelka.com. 2004-11-20. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  2. 1 2 3 "About the Founder". Parivaar. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "National Child Welfare Award for 2011". Sociovigil. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  4. ↑ "Soulless Traffick Shown The Palm | Vinayak Lohani". Outlookindia.com. 2004-02-09. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  5. ↑ "The Beauty Of Illuminated Things | Vinayak Lohani". Outlookindia.com. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  6. ↑ "BLOGS/Beyond the Numbers-The Power of One". Forbes India. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "About Parivaar and its Founder Vinayak Lohani". arpanfoundation. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sanskriti Award for 2011 held in New Delhi". The Times of India. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Sanskriti Award for 2011 Conferred". Hindustan Times. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "Young Indian Leaders". IBN. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  11. ↑ "IIMC Distinguished Alumnus 2011 Awardees". IIMC. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "Ranganathananda Award" (PDF). sriramakrishna.org. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  13. ↑ "Calcutta Story". Telegraphindia.com. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "vinayak-lohani-wins-telegraph-education-foundation's-certificate-honour". alumnilive.iimcal.ac.in. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "True Legend Award". telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Winners of Spirit of Mastek Awards". Mastek. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  17. ↑ "Karmaveer Nobel Laureates Awards 2011-12". karmaveerglobalawards. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  18. ↑ "Transforming Indians to Transform India". Chinmaya Mission. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  19. ↑ "Official Document" (PDF). Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "Official Website". Childlineindia.org.in. Retrieved 16 May 2015.

External links

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