ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vinod Prakash was born into a family of freedom fighters in Meerut, India in 1933. His commitment to social justice was so strong that even at age 16, he participated in the satyagraha movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and was imprisoned for two months. His educational achievements far exceeded the aspirations of his eight older siblings. First, he took a long train journey to study in Calcutta (now Kolkata) at the famed Indian Statistical Institute and then was the first in his family to fly on an airplane, traveling to Boston to accept a Ford Foundation fellowship to attend MIT. He taught at the University of Rhode Island and then worked for the World Bank for many years before taking early retirement in 1988 to pursue his life’s calling in seva (service to society) and established India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF) as a public charity to serve the marginalized in India. It is his passion to give back that has sustained him over the last decade, since he has been confined to his home after a total loss of eyesight in 2010. Over the years, IDRF has become one of the largest and highest-rated non-profits focused on India, having raised over $50 million, an enduring and inspirational legacy.