Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Rani Bang

Dr. Bangs are the Founders Directors of SEARCH. An accomplished physician and gynecologist, public health researchers and social activists, Dr. Bangs are well-known across India and internationally, for their service of the tribal people and for applying rigorous scientific methods to social problem solving. They are named by TIME magazine as the Global Health Heroes, have been elected as Ashoka Fellows, are a member of the Society of Scholars and Distinguished Alumni of the Johns Hopkins University, and have received over 80 different awards for their social contributions, including Padma Shree by the Government of India and Maharashtra Bhushan by the Government of Maharashtra.

NIRMAN was their brainchild and since its inception in 2006, they have continued to play an important role in guiding the strategy and generative aspect of the program. They are an inspiring role model and a lively father and mother figure for the young participants of NIRMAN.

Mr. Vivek Sawant

Mr. Sawant is the Chief Mentor and Former Managing Director of MKCL. The chief architect of India’s first supercomputer PARAM, Vivek Sawant devoted his life to bridging the digital divide and spreading IT literacy across India. MKCL has reached to more than ten million customers so far and is still growing. Having also been actively involved in various social movements in the state of Maharashtra, Vivek Sawant is great at building institutions and creating large scale programs addressing social issues. He brings a unique mix of having worked closely with the government (public), business (private) and the social sector. His versatile abilities as a leader and institution builder, a social changemaker, a successful entrepreneur, technologist and computer scientist, and as an educator provide a strong mentoring and inspiring input for the NIRMAN program and a guiding light to the participants. Involved with NIRMAN since 2008, he has been a terrific motivation and a great support. His advice is especially crucial for the visioning, strategic and human development aspects of the NIRMAN program.