Sandeep Pandey
Encyclopedia
Sandeep Pandey is an Indian social activist. He co-founded Asha for Education
with Dr. Deepak Gupta (presently Professor at IIT Kanpur) and V.J.P Srivatsoy while working on his Ph. D in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley
.
household, where his father Uma Shanker Pandey, was an Indian Railways
official and his mother, Uma Upadhyaya Pandey a housewife.
He is an alumnus of the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, India. Thereafter he did his Master’s
in manufacturing and computer science from Syracuse University
, followed by doctorate in control theory at the University of California, Berkeley
, which he completed in 1992.
in 1992, later he founded a registered organization named Asha Trust which has several centers/chapters across India. His team has launched a people's group named Asha Parivar in 2008 that focuses on strengthening democracy
at the grassroots
.
Sandeep Pandey's work at Asha Parivar is focused on Right to Information and other forms of citizen participation in removing corruption and improving the efficiency of governance. He leads National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), the largest network of grassroots people's movements in India.
He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award
(often termed as 'Asian Nobel prize') in 2002 for the emergent leadership category. Pandey led an Indo-Pakistan
peace march from New Delhi to Multan in 2005.
He has served as an adviser to the Indian government's Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE). His idea of education is based on empowerment by imbibing the spirit of cooperation instead of competition. Currently he is working as a visiting professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar.
, Uttar Pradesh
. He is married to Arundhati Dhuru and they have a son, Chaitanya Pandey and a daughter, Anandi Pandey.
Asha for Education
Asha for Education is a volunteer-run action group dedicated to radical change in India by focusing on basic education, in the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic change...
with Dr. Deepak Gupta (presently Professor at IIT Kanpur) and V.J.P Srivatsoy while working on his Ph. D in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Early life
Sandeep Pandey is born in BrahminBrahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
household, where his father Uma Shanker Pandey, was an Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
official and his mother, Uma Upadhyaya Pandey a housewife.
He is an alumnus of the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, India. Thereafter he did his Master’s
in manufacturing and computer science from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, followed by doctorate in control theory at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, which he completed in 1992.
Career
After completeing his education, he moved back to India, to started teaching at the Indian Institute of Technology KanpurIndian Institute of Technology Kanpur
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur is a Central deemed University located in Uttar Pradesh, about 15 km north-west of the city of Kanpur in the Kalyanpur suburb....
in 1992, later he founded a registered organization named Asha Trust which has several centers/chapters across India. His team has launched a people's group named Asha Parivar in 2008 that focuses on strengthening democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
at the grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
.
Sandeep Pandey's work at Asha Parivar is focused on Right to Information and other forms of citizen participation in removing corruption and improving the efficiency of governance. He leads National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), the largest network of grassroots people's movements in India.
He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
(often termed as 'Asian Nobel prize') in 2002 for the emergent leadership category. Pandey led an Indo-Pakistan
Indo-Pakistani relations
Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained by a number of historical and political issues, and are defined by the violent partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the numerous military conflicts fought between the two nations...
peace march from New Delhi to Multan in 2005.
He has served as an adviser to the Indian government's Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE). His idea of education is based on empowerment by imbibing the spirit of cooperation instead of competition. Currently he is working as a visiting professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar.
Controversies
In 2002, he attended a conference organized by the Communist Party of India, Marxist Leninist Liberation, (CPI-MLL) to honor the kin of about 1000 Naxalites who were killed in police action in Bihar. Upon receiving the Ramon Magsaysay Award, which from the very beginning has been funded by the US government, he referred to America as "the biggest terrorist state in the world."Personal life
Sandeep Pandey lives in Indira Nagar, LucknowLucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. He is married to Arundhati Dhuru and they have a son, Chaitanya Pandey and a daughter, Anandi Pandey.