Deep Joshi is an Indian

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

and NGO activist and a recipient of the Magsaysay award in 2009. He is recognised for his

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

in bringing professionalism to the NGO movement in India. He co-founded a non-profit organisation, Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), of which he was the Executive Director till 2007. He was awarded the 2009 Magsaysay award for Community Leadership for his work for "development of rural communities". He is also a recipient of the civilian honour of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

Early life

Deep Joshi was born in 1947 in the village of Puriyag in a remote area of

Pithoragarh district Pithoragarh district is the easternmost district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in the Himalayas and has an area of and a population of 483,439 (as of 2011). The city of Pithoragarh, located in Saur Valley, is its headquarters. Th ...

, Uttarakhand in the Himalayas to Harikrishan Joshi, a farmer, and was one of seven children. He received his early education at the local primary school, and later he took his engineering degree from

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT or NIT Allahabad), formerly Motilal Nehru Regional Engineering College (MNREC), is one of the 31 National Institutes of Technology (India), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), located ...

and also holds a masters engineering degree from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

) and another on management from Sloan School,

Career

Returning to India, Deep Joshi worked with the Systems Research Institute, and as a programme officer with the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

in India. In the coming decades he worked in the field of rural development and livelihood promotion. In 1983, he co-founded a non-profit organisation, ''Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN)'', that recruits college graduates to do community work, which recruits university-educated youth from campuses across India and trains them for grassroots work. Pradan was jointly awarded NGO of the Year 2006 at the first ever India NGO Award event. PRADAN is involved in building self-help groups, developing land and water resource, natural resource management, forest-based livelihood, horticulture and agriculture. Pradan formed its first SHG in Alwar, Rajasthan, in 1987. Colleagues at PRADAN include Vijay Mahajan and Sankar Datta. He also advises the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

poverty alleviation Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty. Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics classi ...

strategies and also was a member of the Working Group on ''Rainfed Areas'' for the Eleventh Five Year Planning Commission, Govt of India. In 2006, Deep received the ''Harmony Silver Award'' for his contributions to society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) announced Deep among others as winner of a 2009 Magsaysay award. On the eve of Republic Day (26 January 2010), he was honoured with the prestigious

award by the Government of India. He was chosen as the Chairman of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) in October 2012, succeeding Dr. Yoginder K Alagh.

Quotes

* "Civil society needs to have both head and heart. If all you have is bleeding hearts, it wouldn't work. If you only have heads, then you are going to dictate solutions which do not touch the human chord."

References

External links

Interview : Mr. Deep Joshi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joshi, Deep 1947 births Living people People from Pithoragarh district Activists from Uttarakhand Ramon Magsaysay Award winners University of Allahabad alumni Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Prayagraj alumni MIT School of Engineering alumni MIT Sloan School of Management alumni Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work Members of National Advisory Council, India Engineers from Uttarakhand 20th-century Indian educational theorists Social workers from Uttarakhand Academic staff of the Institute of Rural Management Anand