FEATURE STORY
LENIN RAGHUVANSHI
L
enin Raghuvanshi was
born on 18 May 1970
in a higher caste Hindu
family, to Surendra
Nath Singh and Shrimati
Savitri Devi. His grandfather
Shanti Kumar Singh, was a
Gandhian freedom fighter.
Lenin gained his bachelor’s
degree in Ayurveda, modern
medicine and surgery from
the State Ayurvedic Medical
College, Gurukul Kangari,
Haridwar in 1994. He is
married to Shruti Nagavanshi
who was previously a famous
social activist and they have a
son, Kabeer Karunik, who is a
national-level snooker player.
42 VOL04 IS05 | COLLECTOR’S EDITION AUGUST 2022
A Vocal Proponent and Activist for Equality
An aversion toward the caste
system always prevailed within
Lenin and he refers to the
Hindu upbringing as ‘feudal’.
This sowed the seed of social
activism within him and he
later became the president
of the Uttar Pradesh chapter
of the United Nations Youth
Organisation at the age of 23
back in 1993.
A realization hit him where he
realized casteism prevails in all
walks of life. With the Indian
Government tackling this issue
with its reservation policies
and making it perennial, Lenin
chose the path of uplifting
these people by making their
voices heard. He went on and
founded the People’s Vigilance
Committee on Human Rights
(PVCHR) in 1996, along with
his wife, historian Mahendra
Pratap, musician Vikash
Maharaj and poet Gyanendra
Pati. Soon after completing his
studies, he came across a lot of
corrupt practices and decided
to join the BBA organisation
founded by Nobel Peace
awardee Kailash Satyarthi,
and later received facts about
how all bonded labour and
survivors of slavery came
from marginalised castes.
This led him to work towards
a reconciliation movement
against the caste system and
patriarchy.
By the end of 1996, Lenin
was championing a major
cause that was to fight
for the basic rights of
lower-caste people. Early
experiences taught him that
confrontation was essentially
dangerous and not the most
effective emancipatory tool.
Increasingly, he recognised
the role of caste in all kinds of
social conflicts and therefore
envisioned a movement that
could break the closed, feudal
hierarchies of conservative
slums and villages by building
up local institutions and
supporting them with a high
profile and active human
rights network.
His work marks a shift in
the Indian human rights
movement, which has
been reluctant to address
injustices in the name of caste
as a fundamental human
rights issue. Lenin became
one of only a handful of
activists to declare that such
discrimination goes against
democratic principles by
promoting inequality. With
less economic resources, but

rich with confidence and
conviction, in a short period,
he managed to amplify the
voice of the marginalized in
national and international
fora.
Lenin was deeply engaged in
the politics of marginalised
people and firmly believes in
non-violence. A clear mind,
dedication and determination
help him carve his path and
faces commonly threats and
intimidation tactics but, his
courage and commitment to a
non-violent approach are key
factors in tackling these. His
wife Shruti and son Kabeer
live together happily in a
joint family and stays on the
move and busy fulfilling his
grandfather’s dream who used
to emphasise that grassroots
politics is the future of the
country.
Lenin works to promote
inclusion and basic rights
no matter how complex it is,
as he perceives them to be
essential. He is driven by the
FEATURE STORY
He believes speaking up is a way
of resilience for a community for
sustainable development at the
grassroots level. Healthy human
resources and the elimination
of barriers for the marginalised
are one of the most important
ways to strengthen the economy
and boost the GDP. The negative
conflict burdens the economy
and so, positive resolutions
and participatory pluralistic
democracy lay the foundation
for a sustainable economy of
any country.
knowledge that every life has
intrinsic value and through
championing the inclusion of
disenfranchised people across
India, he is fighting for the love
for his country. He envisions
India gaining strength through
this remarkable diversity
instead of being ripped apart.
Ever since his birth, gender
inequality troubled him and he
became more aware with each
passing day. Lenin identifies
caste as a deeply hierarchical
and oppressive system of social
stratification and as the root of
multiple social conflicts that
also acts as a major barrier to
his dream of bringing justice
to all.
COVID-19 made Lenin more
conscious about his health as
he focuses on proper nutrition
and boosting immunity.
His organisation initiated
multi-dimensional support to
communities, institutions and
NGOs towards eliminating
COVID-19 and providing
awareness, vaccinations etc.
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