David B K Thomas Mr. David Thomas did his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1977. He then pursued post-graduation in Ancient Indian History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was elected the President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union in 1978. He was the first elected President of JNUSU, who was not affiliated to any of the major national political parties. After working in various IT companies in their various departments for nearly seven years, in 1987, he founded Datasophy, an e-learning company that designed and wrote educational software in the subjects of sciences and the social sciences for use in schools in India. In 1992 he joined IBM India. In 1998, he was assigned to the IBM Europe Learning Services Headquarters at La Hulpe near Brussels. He returned to India in 2002 and worked as a Vice President for a year as the head of IBM's Learning Services group for ASEAN and South Asia. Mr. Thomas left IBM in January 2003 and started traveling extensively within the country in an attempt to understand the complex social dynamics of rural India. He also studied the work done by many developmental organizations. In 2004, along with few friends he started a small not-for-profit company called India Nirman Sangh. This organization is involved in developmental projects and works in the Palani Hills region of South India. The focus is empowerment of women, using micro finance as a tool and enabler. In partnership with the Gandhigram Trust, they currently work with more than 3000 women. They organize women and carry out awareness and training campaigns. They have evolved a savings-loan-credit mechanism which helps women in breaking the circle of poverty. The organization has helped women in dealing with government functionaries, in obtaining bank finance and also in making business and marketing plans. Today, the women in their groups have a total saving of more than two crore rupees. They also have access to more than three crore rupees in the form of micro loans from banks. With this access to credit on relatively easy terms, women have been able to repay loans from money lenders and get back pawned jewels. They have also been able to send their children to high school and in a few cases to college. Some women have started small, micro enterprises including grocery shops, tea stalls, a computer centre, a Eucalyptus oil filtering and bottling business, a Kodaikanal coffee powder processing unit and a carpentry workshop. Through various groups, the organization also works on sanitation and health related issues. In one of the panchayats, their women’s groups are currently engaged in a program for elimination of open defecation. All work at India Nirman Sangh is funded through the savings of the members and the generous support of friends, including several IITians. Mr. Thomas is a Trustee of the Sathya Surabhi Trust in Kodaikanal, which runs a primary free school for underprivileged children at Attuvampatti near Kodaikanal. Since 2003, Mr. Thomas is also an Advisor to the Gandhigram Trust and the Gandhigram Khadi and Village Industries Public Charitable Trust. He has created and implemented a highly successful rural marketing plan involving barefoot saleswomen on Gandhi's exhortation to 'produce locally and sell locally', which has helped in providing employment to more than a hundred poor women in villages. Mr. David B K Thomas has been conferred with the Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT Kanpur for his outstanding contributions and selfless service towards empowerment of women.