The Founder
Devendra Kumar, a young self-made social reformer, was born in a high crime-
prone slum where his parents abandoned him at the age of two with his 3 days
infant sister (Ladli). Grown amidst poverty, at the age of eight, he started working
as a child laborer with a "never say die" approach. During his balloon-selling, he
was snatched & brutally beaten by a group of delinquents & drug addicts. Many
mishaps & miseries at a very young age coerced him to find a safe space for him
which encouraged him to join a volunteering group with Indian Red Cross & St.
John Ambulance, In 2010 his struggle to save his sister from child marriage and
dowry by surviving amidst vulnerability motivated him to work for most vulnerable
population for which he established the “Ladli Foundation.”
His 23 years continuous actions and innovative initiatives for empowering the
oppressed and disadvantaged has received recognition in India and the United
Nations. During the 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, he
was recognized by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for raising his voice to
highlight the agenda of women's health and the elimination of child marriages in
developing countries. His grassroots-level initiatives assisted in the liberation of
thousands of women and young girls from sexual abuse and exploitation and
subsequently empowered them to become self-reliant, for which he was titled as
“True Hero” by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan
His grassroots-level initiatives assisted in the liberation of thousands of women and
young girls from sexual abuse and exploitation and subsequently empowered them
to become self-reliant, for which he was titled as “True Hero” by Mr. Amitabh
Bachchan
A firm believer of gender equality, his creative approach to raising awareness about
gender-based violence in various communities and assisting the needy and troubled
through relief projects have been very inspiring, as well as his life story, Chhotu
(Child Labor to National Award Winner).
His vision to build a strong women community of GBV survivors and create
opportunities for them to look ahead and move far extends the national boundaries
to the highly technologically enriched societies. It envisions breaking the taboos
and adopting a safe, secure & sustainable living that upholds women's reproductive
rights in our society by sensitizing the male population to become promoters of
Gender Equality.
In 2017, His most significant gender sensitization initiative for involving thousands
of male populations to uphold the idea of Gender Equality was witnessed and
deeply praised by the Home Minister of India. His passion and constant efforts at
a very young age for the upliftment of underprivileged people were recognized,
and he was conferred with the National Youth Award by the Government of India.
In 2020, His contribution to the welfare of the lower section of society was
commended by the Union Minister of Social Justice and the Ministry of Social
Justice, Government of India nominated him for the prestigious Padma Shri
Award 2020 (4th Highest Civilian Award of India)
Devendra is also a notable public policy analyst and emerging global leader having
vast experience in international relations and development. In 2016 he founded
an International Think Tank organization, “South and East Asia Foundation,” with
the vision of contributing to India's transformation by a new engagement with the
international Forum, Economic Order and Diplomatic Challenges. As a president of
the organization, he successfully organized several big conferences such as INDIA
& BRICS, INDO- US SUMMIT, INDO CHINA SUMMIT, CLIMATE CONCLAVE, and
NATIONAL DEMOCRACY SUMMIT with the participation of Global Leaders,
Diplomats, Thinkers, and Govt. officials for critically examine the problem faced by
the country and tries to develop a coherent policy response by creating a platform
to bring together the leading Indian economists and policymakers to present the
agenda of India’s overall reforms on international issues.
His Journey Can be watch in this short video clip - https://youtu.be/GQ5LxhT8Pgg
Now Devendra is intensively working for policy reforms and developing social
innovations to build a gender-sensitive society by making a chain of
changemakers to support his cause.