Samta Foundation’s Art Initiative is a platform for training handpicked tribal artists, enabling them to sharpen their craft and earn a better living. Started with artists from Palghar, Maharashtra, the initiative is created to support the artists and help them gain financial independence. It helps showcase their work and provides them training and guidance from senior artists and professionals.
Ravindra leads the MASTI (Mannalal Agrawal Skill and Technical Institute) as Principal since 2019, under the Education Initiative of the Foundation to provide advance computer education (Robotics, Blockchain developer, AI and Machine learning, Web developer, etc. He also leads the “Samta Suvidha Kendra” activity all over Maharashtra, mostly in Palghar, Washim, Jalgaon districts to bridge on gap between government schemes and the public. He is also managing the Risod outreach program in Risod Taluka for education in Robotics, Tailoring, and Animation.
Ravindra has received ‘Special Recognized Awards’ from the Samta Foundation for his valuable work and dedication. Also, he has been awarded “Covid Yoddha” by the Governor of Maharashtra State for his performance from 2020-21 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ravindra has experience of 8 years as a Lecturer in Engineering Degree and Polytechnic. He did MBA in Entrepreneurship Management and graduation in Mechanical Engineering. Apart from work, he is passionate about sports and reading.
Dipak is passionate about leading the prison activities undertaken by the Foundation. With an unwavering focus on release of deserving prisoners, rehabilitation and improving their health, he aspires to expand the Foundation’s prisoner release activity across the nation and motivates his team to bring forward their best.
During his previous stints, Dipak has been the Administrative head at MAIT, Risod. He put his Diploma in Pharmacy from Nagpur University to practice as the Proprietor of Ajanta Enterprises, Aurangabad. As a Trustee of the Dhamma Ajanta Vipassana Centre, Aurangabad, his aim is to spread the importance of meditation in life – a cause that blends seamlessly into his work for prisoners.
Vivek leads the overall Healthcare Initiatives of Samta Foundation, with a focus on Mother and Child Care. He turned his childhood passion for social work into a profession when he joined Samta Foundation and started working for the tribal community of Melghat in Amravati district of Maharashtra, considered the second deepest remote area in India.
Vivek bagged an incentive award for his outstanding performance within the organization and has also been awarded “Covid Yoddha” by the Governor of Maharashtra State for his performance from 2020-21 in combatting the Covid19 pandemic.
Vivek holds a master’s in social work (MSW) and is also pursuing an MBA. Other than professional work, he excels in composing Marathi poetry.
Priyanka leads the Education Initiative of the Foundation to help achieve optimum results towards growth and development. She is in charge of academic and administrative management of all the 42 schools adopted by the Foundation. At Mannalal Agrawal Institute of Technology, Priyanka looks into the academic sector.
Priyanka has bagged Excellence Certificates in several National events in the past. She has received the “Master Award 2023” from IIT Bombay for exemplary contribution as an Educator Resource in the implementation of the Spoken Tutorial Project.
A BE Graduate in Electronics & Tele-Communication, Priyanka has been a Computer Trainer at Mahanubhav Ashram school, Aurangabad and a Teacher at Success Academy for Mechatronic Engineering. Apart from work, Priyanka enriches herself by studying Holy books.
Ananya brings a contemporary perspective and a robust structure to the Computer Programmes helmed by the Foundation. She infuses joy into learning by introducing innovative ways, like creating music books with song ideas and exam syllabus for schools. At prisons, she has helped define the Computer curriculum, streamlining it with the objectives of prisoner education.
Studying in Grade XII at Ecole Mondiale, Mumbai, Ananya’s vision for the Foundation is, in her words, “limitless”, while strengthening and expanding its work. Ananya has received her Visharad Certificate in Indian folk dance and has earned her Senior Diploma in Hindustani Vocal Classical after a decade of training. She also volunteers as a music teacher at an NGO tutoring underprivileged children in Mumbai. Deeply inspired to walk in the shoes of her grandfather, Purushottam Agrawal, she feels that respecting diversity can restore balance in the world.
Purushottam Agrawal is on a mission to make rural and tribal communities healthy, literate and self-reliant. His entrepreneurial brilliance and unrelenting spirit to make a meaningful contribution is the seed of Samta Foundation. His vision is carried forward in our activities, associations and achievements in community development; and has won him several recognitions including an award by the Honourable Vice President of India.
As a businessman, he started with a borrowed seed capital of merely Rs. 10,000 in 1973, and went on to become the Founder of Ajanta Pharma: a pharma major with a market capitalisation of over two billion dollars and employee strength of 6500+. He is also the Chairman of the Samta Group of Companies, which includes Gencrest, the biotech arm, Samta Mines & Minerals Limited, a mining specialist company, Infinichains, IT Company based on block-chain technology and Samta Energy, a sustainable energy company. Today, his bold ideologies have not only benefited millions in India but across 30+ countries including US, Europe, Asia and the entire African continent.
Warli painting is an internal journey for Chetan Laxman Madha – a source of his inner happiness and solace. As he debuted at Palghar Perspectives, Chetan took his first big step towards making his presence felt as an established Warli painter.
Prabhakar Vitthal Talha inherited the skill of Warli painting from his mother. Palghar Perspectives was Prabhakar’s debut show, and what he considers the beginning of a career in this unique artistic field. He does not just want to sharpen his skills and rest on his laurels alone, but is keen on sharing his knowledge and continuing the tradition of excellence by teaching budding artists.
From learning the nuances of Warli painting with the help of a friend to exhibiting his talent at shows in Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, and Delhi, artist Dilip Rama Bahota has come a long way. The will to preserve his culture keeps him inspired and motivated to deliver flawless artwork. Dilip’s contentment lies in helping people with similar interests come together, so that everybody gets a platform to progress in this field.
Vansha Jaanu Bhujad gained proficiency in bamboo art by practicing at home, and ultimately participating at an exhibition in Mumbai’s Welingkar College in 2017-2018. Vansha wants to keep learning the nuances of Bamboo art so that he may pass on the knowledge to other artists as well.
Artists need inspiration to sculpt masterpieces. For Naresh, it was the customs, traditions and festivals in his village that inspired him to become a Warli painting artist. He also regards nature as a major source of inspiration for him. It is his eagerness to learn, and sincerity towards his work that earned him the opportunity of exhibiting in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Baroda, and Surat before exhibiting in Mumbai.
From learning the nuances of Warli painting with the help of a friend to exhibiting his talent at shows in Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, and Delhi, artist Dilip Rama Bahota has come a long way. The will to preserve his culture keeps him inspired and motivated to deliver flawless artwork. Dilip’s contentment lies in helping people with similar interests come together, so that everybody gets a platform to progress in this field.
Young Ashwini Shraavan Chaudhary proves that art knows no age. Being an ardent art lover, she first learned Warli painting in school. The driven artist has not only participated in exhibitions conducted in her school, but has also showcased at an exhibition at Bhartiya Vidyapeeth High School. This college-going artist is now keen to craft a career in Warli painting.
Yashwant Shankar Ravte mastered the intricate art of Warli painting from a friend. It was a skill he cultivated with such finesse, that he had the wonderful opportunity of exhibiting several times in Mumbai through the Ministry of Tourism. Today he not only pursues his craft with great eye to detail, but is also passionate about promoting Adivasi culture and art to the world.
Sudam Kashiram Ghoye is a self-taught craftsman. He works with old newspapers and magazines, and makes his glue from local Chera and Dharan Trees, which lends a unique brown hue to his work. Sudam mainly sculpts animals and masks. With 22 years of experience, Sudam exhibits up to 5 times a year in Pune, Mumbai and Delhi. His wife Jayee and son Arun are also paper mache artists.
Inspired by the ethics of Mr. Purushottam Agrawal and his late wife, Mrs. Samta Agrawal, Richa takes a hands-on approach to managing the activities of Samta Foundation. Attending camps in tribal areas, she has witnessed that people there desperately need better healthcare and educational facilities. She is driven to provide access to those opportunities and envisions the Foundation to be synonymous with efficiency and quality.
Nurturing a strong desire for service, Richa not only hails from a family of philanthropists, but believes that Samta Foundation gives her a platform to contribute meaningfully.
Richa is a mother of two, a Commerce Graduate and a painter. Her passion for giving reflects in her role as an English Teacher and Spiritual Mentor at an NGO tutoring underprivileged children in Mumbai.
With the values of giving back to society firmly instilled in him, Ravi focusses on building efficiency in the way Samta Foundation is run, maximising its reach to the beneficiaries.
Ravi is Managing Director of the Samta Group. Before this, he started the infrastructure vertical and developed the industrial area and solar power projects, over the past 7 years. He now leads Gencrest, a biotech research venture with operations in India and abroad and is also involved with its Mining and Infotech verticals. In the past, he has also worked in the pharmaceutical domain with Ajanta Pharma.
Ravi is a Management Graduate with a love for music, apart from long distance motorcycling. His passion for contribution is evident in a Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari biking trip he completed, to raise money for the Armed Forces Welfare Fund.
