Shivakumar N. Tontapura

Shivakumar is an amazing story of exemplary work despite physical impediment, of complete visual impairment (blind). His achievements can outclass anyone else’s, especially those with all physical senses and limbs intact. His numerous achievements are hard to be listed in any profile. Following is only a small excerpt of tall achievements:

Shivakumar, who started his first social endeavour in 1988 with a hostel for youth without any government grant, subsequently established a voluntary educational institution that employed 70 educated youth. He worked for a donation-less education to hundreds of children through his two educational institutions. He established Balvadis for children of poor working women and cooli workers. Shivakumar is well known for his work for physically exploited women and children, providing shelter, rehabilitation and counselling for them, opening residential schools for orphans and children of cooli workers and for forming self-help groups in many villages, including 150 earthworm units for organic farm development helping the villagers.

For his various social and community work, he has received many awards, including the Servant of the Poor award in Delhi in 2007.

Considering his enormous contribution to the society and ability to transform the economy of the rural areas, Aam Aadmi Party is fielding him from the Koppal parliamentary constituency.